UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


Practical  Basket  Making 


PRACTICAL 
BASKET 
MAKING 

(NEW   EDITION.      ENLARGED   AND    REVISED 
WITH  NEW  ILLUSTRATIONS.) 

—  BY  — 

GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES 

A UTHOR    OF 

HOW    TO    MAKE    INDIAN   AND    OTHER    BASKETS  ;      INDIAN    BASKETRY 

THE   INDIANS  OF  THE  PAINTED  DESERT  REGION  ;    IN   AND  AROUND 

THE     GRAND     CANYON  ;      THE     BLANKETRY     OF    THE     INDIAN  ; 

THROUGH    RAMONA'S   COUNTRY  ;    WHAT   THE  WHITE   RACE 

MAY  LEARN  FROM  THE  INDIAN  ;    THE  WONDERS  OF  THE 

COLORADO  DESERT  ;   THE  HEROES  OF  CALIFORNIA  ; 

THE    PREHISTORIC    CLIFF    DWELLINGS 

OF    THE    SOUTH-WEST, 

ETC.,      ETC. 


GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES 

1098  X.  RAYMOND  AYE..    PASADENA,  CALIFORNIA 


Fig.  i.     A  Mono  Basket  Maker  in  the  Yosemite  Valley. 


910 


I 

CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introduction 9 

General  Hints  to  Basket  Workers n 

Materials  for  Basketry 12-15 

Models  for  Reed  Baskets 17-50 

Serving  Tray 51 

Raffia   Suggestions 52 

Scrap  Basket  of  Rattan  by  Miss  Belle  Robinson 54 

Raffia  and  Reed  Basket  Making.     General  Directions 57 

Hopi  Stitch 58 

Figure  8  or  Navaho  Stitch 58 

Basket,  by  Fred  S.  Boughton 60 

Basket,  by  Mrs.  E.  A.  Hayes 62 

Lazy  Stitch  Basket,  by  Mrs.  White 63 

«*     Maiden  Hair  Fern  Basket,   by  Mrs.  M.  G.  Jones 65 

^     Lazy  Stitch  Baskets,  by  Miss  Nelly  Sutton 69 

-    Jewel   Basket,  by  Miss  Ballou 69 

=     Lazy  Stitch  Basket,  by  Mrs.  F.  A.  Mangold 70 

=    Lazy  Stitch  Basket,  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Dodds 71 

ZU    Lazy  Stitch,  with  soft  inner  coil,  by  Mrs.  C.  A.  Wilkinson 72 

z    The  Knot  Stitch 74 

i    Basket  of  Mixed  Stitches,  by  Mrs.  A.  M.  Batchelder 75 

§   The  Hopi  Stitch 77 

Basket  by  Mrs.  Rollins 77 

The  Havasupai  Stitch 81 

Herring  Bone  Finish 82 

Open  Poma  Stitch 83 

Making  Grass  Baskets 83 

Pine  Needle  Baskets 87 

Bam  Tush  Weave 93 

Bam  Tush  Weave,  with  Ti  Band 99 

Inserting  Shells,  Beads  and  Feathers 100 

The  Klikitat  Weave 102 

Indian  Splint   Basket  Weaving 106 

Dyeing  Basketry  Splints •....• 118 

Model  Indian  Basketry  Designs 1 20 


.'558547 


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Fig.  2.     Fine  Baskets  of  Klikitat  Weave. 


Fig.  3.     Fine  Baskets  of  Various  California  Weaves. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Fig.  4.     Katchina  and  other  Placques  of  the  Hopi.     In  the  Collection  of 
the  Burns  Indian  Trading  Company,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 


Fig.  5.     The  Celebrated  Twelve  Apostles  Basket.     In  the  E.  L.  McLeod 
Collection,  Fresno,  California. 


PRACTICAL    ISASKKT     MAKING. 


INTRODUCTION. 


For  some  years  interest  has  been  growing  in  the  subject  of  Indian 
Basketry.  White  women  have  learned  to  appreciate  these  artistic 
creations  of  the  aboriginal  woman's  brain  and  fingers,  and  with  the 
appreciation  has  come  the  creative  desire  to  make  something  akin  to 
her  work.  Hence  for  the  past  few  years  the  art  of  fine  basket  weav- 
ing has  become  a  distinctivly  American  occupation.  It  has  also  been 
introduced  into  the  schools  of  the  country  with  great  success.  Chil- 
dren thoroughly  enjoy  the  work,  and  thereby  their  creative  powers 
are  called  upon  as  well  as  digital  and  manual  dexterity  gained. 

There  are  a  score  or  more  of  types  of  baskets  made  by  the  Indians, 
but  the  white  woman's  endeavors  are  less  ambitious.  She  confines 
herself  mainly  to  reed,  willow,  raffia,  pineneedles,  etc.  The  raffia 
baskets  are  by  far  the  most  popular,  this  material  easily  lending  itself 
to  imitation — both  in  color  and  appearance  of  weave — of  the  rare 
Indian  baskets  the  connoisseur  prizes  so  highly. 

In  this  book  I  have  presented  a  course  of  lessons  in  these  varied 
materials,  which,  if  followed,  will  enable  the  tyro  to  make  useful  and 
beautiful  baskets,  etc. 

The  title  of  the  book  is  self-explanatory.  It  is  a  "Hand-Book  of 
Practical  Basket  Making."  It  lays  no  claim  to  teaching  everything 
that  is  to  be  known  of  the  art,  for  such  a  claim  would  be  preposterous 
It  does  claim,  however,  to  teach  practically  what  the  basket  weaver 
wishes  to  know.  Some  of  the  lessons  have  been  personally  prepared  by 
the  best  known  teachers  of  New  England.  Some  of  the  sample 
baskets  were  made  in  a  prize  competition  offered  by  the  editor  of  THE 
BASKET,  and  the  instructions  were  written  by  the  weavers  themselves 

Everything  has  been  carefully  considered,  and  it  is  confidently  as- 
serted that  if  those  who  wish  to  teach  themselves  basketry  will  follow 
the  instructions  given  they  will  surely  succeed  without  any  other 
teacher. 

In  this  new  edition  the  book  has  been  carefully  revised,  and  en- 
larged with  many  new  models, — with  illustrations  and  descriptions. 
With  the  'author's  "How  to  make  Indian  an.d  other  Baskets,"  .and 
"Indian  Basketry."  the  practical  weaver,  however  ambitious,  will  have 
suggestions  that  will  keep  her  busy  for  a  lifetime,  though  as  I  have 
stated  above,  any  fairly  self-reliant  weaver  may  begin  to  weave  pretty 
and  useful  baskets  at  the  very  commencement  of  her  endeavors. 

GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES. 
1098  North  Raymond  Ave. , 

PASADENA,  CALIFORNIA. 


'k.UTICAL    I1ASKKT     MAKINC,. 


Fig.  7.     Shoshone  Basket.     In  collection  of  E.  Mehesy,  Jr.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


Fig.  8.     Southern  California  Mission  Basket.     In  collection  of  E.  Mehesy,  Jr. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


PRACTICAL    HAS  KMT    MAKINC. 


A   I-K\V  GENERAL   HINTS  TO   I'.ASKKT  WORKERS. 

Clean  raffia  as  soon  as  bought  by  soaking  in  tepid  water  for  over  an 

hour. 

Rinse  well  by  sousing  up  and  down. 
1  lung  up  at  the  large  ends  to  dry. 

lUunt  needles  are  generally  better  than  sharp.  Thread  needles  with 
the  dark  and  hard  end  of  raffia.  In  sewing  keep  raffia  of  one  width  as 
far  as  possible.  On  the  evenness  of  the  raffia  stitches  the  beauty  of  the 
basket  largely  depends. 

In  sewing,  move  needle  as  often  as  possible.  The  eye  is  liable  to 
shred  the  raffia. 

Dampen  the  raffia  frequently  while  working. 

Take  out  the  twist  of  raffia  as  you  sew. 

Take  a  step  at*  a  time  and  do  that  well. 

Be  sure  you  know  what  you  are  going  to  do  next  before  you  proceed. 

Make  haste  slowly  until  you  have  learned  how. 

Copy  a  simple  basket  first. 

Make  your  first  basket  without  any  color  or  design  in  it.  Aim  for 
perfect  stitch  and  perfect  shape. 

In  your  second  basket  keep  all  you  have  learned  and  introduce  one 
color  only. 

Xever  use  high  colors. 

Vegetable  dyes  are  always  the  best. 

The  most  precious  Indian  baskets  have  only  the  softest  tones  and 
shades. 

Do  not  be  a  pedant  and  spell  raffia,  "rapliia." 

Raphia  is  the  botanical,  technical  name.  Raffia  is  the  common,  every- 
day people's  name. 

When  weaving  with  raffia  keep  the  fingers  slightly  moistened.  This 
prevents  the  catching  of  the  edges  and  also  improves  the  appearance  of 
the  raffia. 

Before  making  a  basket  read  what  Mrs.  Jones  says  of  the  coil  button. 
It  will  help  you  to  begin  well. 

After  soaking  your  reed  be  sure  always  to  dry  it  well  with  a  cloth. 
Otherwise  it  will  shrink  when  dry  after  weaving,  and  thus  leave  the 
coiling  weave  loose  and  unsightly. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


MATERIALS  FOR  BASKETRY. 


IMPORTED  MATERIALS. 


It  is  well  for  the  weaver  to  know  something  of  the  materials  she  is 
to  use.  They  are  of  two  Classes,  imported  and  native.  Raffia  and 
rattan  are  both  imported.  The  following  account  of  rattan  was  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  M.  Hollander,  the  maker  of  many  of  the  Model  Lesson 
Baskets  of  these  pages. 

Reeds  are  manufactured  from  rattan.  Rattan  grows  best  in  quality 
and  abundance  in  the  East  Indian  Islands,  where  the  annual  rainfall  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  inches.  Rattan  is  cylindrical  in  form  and 
jointed.  It  grows  wild  in  the  jungles,  twining  about  the  trees  and 
hanging  from  the  branches  in  beautiful  festoons. 

The  length  to  which  it  grows  is  given  by  different  authors  as  being 
from  fifty  to  five  hundred  feet;  but  the  longest  specimens  that  I  find 
any  authentic  record  of  are  two  specimens  that  were  on  exhibition  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  in  1855.  One  of  these  was  two  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  and  the  other  two  hundred  and  seventy. 

Some  years  ago  some  enterprising  men  undertook  to  cultivate  rattan, 
and  met  with  success.  Long  clearings,  12  feet  wide,  were  made  leaving 
a  strip,  next  to  the  cleared  one,  and  of  about  the  same  width,  in  the 
natural  state.  Next  to  this  another  pair  of  cleared  and  uncleared  strips 
and  so  on. 

The  seed  of  rattan,  which  is  about  the  size  of  a  pea  and  black  in 
color,  was  planted  at  equal  distances  on  the  edge  of  the  cleared  strip 
close  to  the  wild  strip  towards  the  sun.  This  left  a  space  between  the 
rattan  plants  and  the  wild  strip  on  the  opposite  side,  wide  enough  for 
the  men  and  their  teams  to  drive  in  to  cut  and  gather  the  rattan  when 
ready.  Trees  were  left  in  the  uncleared  strip,  so  that  as  the  rattan  grew 
it  might  have  something  to  climb.  It  grows  always  towards  the  sun. 

Only  one  shoot  grows  from  the  seed,  and  this  first  shoot  is  allowed 
to  grow  for  four  years,  when  it  is  cut  close  to  the  ground,  and  from  that 
one  plant  as  many  as  three  hundred  shoots  will  spring  up.  These  are 
cut  every  year.  Large,  beautiful  leaves,  that  always  face  the  sun,  grow 
where  we  see  the  joints  in  the  rattan.  Little  fibres  grow  out  from  those 
same  joints  by  means  of  which  the  rattan  plant  makes  itself  fast  to  the 
trees,  and  its  hold  is  so  firm,  that  when  the  plant  is  cut  it  requires  the 
strength  of  from  two  to  five  men  to  pull  it  down.  Rattan  comes  to  us 
stripped  of  its  leaves  and  tied  in  bundles  of  convenient  length  for  ship- 
ping and  handling. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  revenue  from  cultivated  rattan  is  from  $350 
to  $450  per  acre. 

Reeds  were  first  manufactured  in  this  country  about  fifty  years  ago. 
Seating  cane  is  made  from  the  outside  of  the  rattan  and  the  reed  is  made 
from  the  inside — the  pith  of  the  rattan.  The  sizes  into  which  reeds  are 
cut  are  from  .00 — about  the  size  of  common  thread — up  to  No.  10. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


NATIVE  MATERIAL. 

The  North  American  Indian  is  the  greatest  and  best  basket  maker  in 
the  world.  Eastern  readers  must  not  suppose  by  this  I  mean  the 
weavers  of  the  sweet  grass  and  splint  baskets,  with  which  they  are 
familiar.  I  mean  the  Indians  who  weave  such  baskets  as  are  pictured 
in  these  pages.  They  found  all  their  material  near  to  their  native 
homes.  Surely  the  civilized  American  can  do  the  same.  There  is  end- 
less variety  and  it  is  all  waiting  to  be  utilized.  In  THE  BASKET  for  July 
1904,  is  the  report  of  an  interesting  meeting  of  the  Primitive  Arts 
Club,  held  in  Brooklyn,  one  department  of  which  devoted  considerable 
attention  to  this  subject  of  native  material.  Chief  of  these  is  the  wil- 
low, of  which  Dr.  F.  Schuyler  Matthews  thus  writes  in  "Familiar  Trees 
and  Their  Leaves." 

"Crack  Willow  (Salix  Fragilis). — One  of  our  largest  willows — the 
crack  willow — came  to  us  from  Europe.  It  has  become  extensively 
naturalized.  Its  twigs  are  largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of  baskets. 
It  was  imported  in  the  especial  interest  of  basket  manufacturers  before 
the  Revolutionary  War. 

"This  willow  grows  50  or  75  feet,  and,  under  favorable  conditions, 
90  feet  high.  It  has  too  often  been  displaced  by  the  weeping  willow 
as  an  ornamental  tree,  whose  conventional  and  sober  aspect  is  a  poor 
substitute  for  the  cheerfulness  and  vivacity  of  the  other  tree  with  its 
scintillant  foliage.  The  crack  willow  may  be  identified  by  its  shining 
leaf,  which  has  two  tiny  excrescences  at  the  base  just  at  the  junction 
with  the  leaf  stem,  and  rather  thick,  fine  teeth.  The  under  side  of  the 
leaf  is  whitish  and  smooth.  The  twigs  are  yellow-green,  polished,  and 
very  brittle  at  base ;  hence  the  name." 

To  show  that  care  must  be  exercised  to  find  out  the  best  time  for 
gathering  I  give  herewith  what  one  member  of  the  Basket  Fraternity 
writes.  She  says: 

"I  have  had  experience  with  willows.  I  gathered  some  in  November, 
and,  after  hard  labor,  got  them  peeled  and  scraped.  Then  I  began  to 

work    them    and completely    failed.      They    were    altogether    too 

'snappy';  no,  'cracky/  Later,  I  asked  an  old  German  woman,  whose 
husband  had  been  a  basket-maker,  about  them.  She  told  me,  what  I 
suspected,  that  they  must  be  gathered  when  they  were'  'vet' ;  that  is, 
while  the  sap  was  in  them.  That  would  be  early  in  the  season,  or  in 
August.  I  imagine  to  gather  in  August  the  summer's  growth  just 
past  would  be  about  right." 


PRACTICAL    ItASKKT    MAKING. 


August  is  the  best  time  to  gather.  They  are  prepared  by  boiling  or 
steaming  the  twigs,  thus  making  the  bark  more  easily  removed.  Strip 
this  off  without  scraping.  It  is  well  to  go  to  some  old-fashioned  basket- 
maker's  shop  and  learn  his  methods. 

The  willows  are  made  into  splints  by  the  Indians,  who  split  them  with 
their  teeth  and  then  draw  them  apart  with  their  fingers. 

Wood  Splints  or  Plats. — These  are  made  by  the  Indians  and  also 
by  machinery.  The  latter  can  be  purchased  in  long,  wide  strips,  and 
then  cut  into  any  size  desired  by  the  weaver. 


Fig.  9.     Lorn  Husk  Poppy  Basket,  made  by  Miss  Margaret  C.   Whiting.   Deer- 
lick!,   Mass. 

Corn  Husks. — These  have  been  woven  into  baskets  by  many   in- 
genious weavers,  as  will  be  seen  in  Fig.  9.     Some  of  the  inner  husks 


1'KACTK  AI,    1SASKKT     MAKING. 


have  beautiful  colors,  as  reds,  purples,  pinks,  pea  green  and  dark  yel- 
low. These  may  be  used  for  overlay  ornamentation  as  in  the  Klikitat 
weave,  or  for  inner  coil  material. 

Cattail. — The  cattail  or  bullrush  (scirpus)  of  different  species  may 
be  largely  used  in  basketry.  The  special  kind  (S.  lacustris),  whose 
tall,  smooth,  bluish-green,  round  stems  are  seen  projecting  above  the 
water  in  lakes,  ponds,  pools  and  rivers,  dries  well  and  is  excellent  for 
many  purposes.  In  California  the  Scirpus  Tatora  is  called  tule,  and 
the  root  of  this  lias  a  cuticle  of  a  rich  brown  color,  which  is  used  by 
the  Cahuilla  Indians  as  wrapping  splint  for  their  coiled  ware.  The 
ordinary  cattail  should  be  gathered  before  they  mature,  a  time  which 


A  Raffia   Syggestion. 


varies  in  different  sections  of  the  country.     Dry  them  slowly  or  they 
become  brittle. 

They  may  be  braided  and  so  used  instead  of  braided  rush. 

Stccct  Grass  is  largely  used  in  some  parts  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada  for  the  making  of  simple  and  pretty  baskets.  It  is  properly 
Zostera,  a  type  of  a  tribe  of  aquatic  plants  which  grow  immersed  in 
shallow  bogs  and  other  waters.  It  is  braided  and  used  largely  in  this 
fashion. 

Maiden  Hair  /•>/;/  Stein. — All  lovers  of  the  fine  basketry  of  Northern 
California  know  the  rich  black  wrapping  splint  of  the  twined  basketry. 
This  is  the  stem  of  the  Ad\antn<n  pcdatnin.  the  maiden  hair  fern.  The 
black  is  glossy  and  unfading  and  the  most  perfect  black  known,  sur- 
passing even  the  martynfa. 

Crosses. — Many  kinds  of  grass  may  well  be  used  in  basketry.  For 
instance,  the  swale  grass,  of  which  Fig.  54  is  made.  These  can  be 
combined  with  reeds  and  raffia  and  must  pleasing  results  obtained. 

•5 


PRACTICAL    15ASKKT    MAKIN(,. 


I'K.U  TK'AI.  I5ASKKT  .MAKING. 


MODELS  FOR  REED  BASKETS. 


Jn  teaching  basketry  as  in  teaching  anything  else  experience  counts 
for  more  than  theory.  I  have,  therefore,  had  some  of  the  best  teachers 
of  the  country  arrange  this  model  set  of  lessons  and  make  the  models 
accompanying  them  that  future  students  may  have  the  benefit  of  their 
experience.  Follow  this  order  and  you  will  find  a  distinct  development 
of  your  own  power  along  what  experience  has  demonstrated  to  be  the 
right  lines.  Those  who  have  used  these  models  find  that  both  teachers 
and  those  who  wish  to  teach  themselves  basketry  have  in  them  all  that 
is  essential  to  a  practical  knowledge  of  this  kind  of  work.  Stick  to 
these  models  and  you  will  make  better  looking  baskets  than  if  you 
undertake  to  follow  your  own  untrained  wishes. 


MODEL  NO.   i.— SCRAP  BASKET  OR  FLOWER  POT. 

The  basket  shown  herewith  makes  a  very  useful  plant-pot.  It  will 
wear  for  years,  is  not  as  expensive  as  pottery  and  if  well  made  is 
pleasing.  It  may  also  be  used  as  a  desk  scrap-basket,  and  whether 
stained  to  match  the  desk  or  left  in  its  natural  color  will  be  equally 
pleasing. 

For  this   model,   you   will   require   a   wooden   disc  or  basket-base 

six  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter  through  which  have  been   bored 

twenty-one   holes,   one-quarter   pound   number   five   reed,  one-quarter 
pound  number  three  reed  and  some  good  glue. 

Let  me  here  say  a  word  in  regard  to  the  size  of  reeds,  as  later  in 
the  course  much  will  be  said  about  reeds  of  various  sizes.  The  lowest 
number  indicates  the  smallest  size.  For  instance,  number  one  reed 
is  very  small,  number  two  is  medium  size,  while  number  three  is 
coarser,  etc. 

First  step — Note  that  the  basket  base  has  twenty-one  holes,  hence 
twenty-one  stakes  or  pieces  of  number  five  reed  fourteen  inches  long 
must  be  cut.  Take  special  care  to  cut  one  end  of  each  reed  per- 
fectly straight  across.  Having  cut  all  the  reeds,  immerse  them  for  a 
few  minutes  in  tepid  water  and  straighten.  Dip  the  blunt  end  of  one 
of  the  reeds  into  the  glue,  taking  care  to  get  just  enough  glue  on  the 
reed  to  hold  it  firmly  after  it  has  been  forced  well  into  the  hole  in 
the  basket  base.  Repeat  this  operation  until  all  of  the  holes  have 
been  staked  with  reeds  which  make  the  sides  of  the  basket.  In  work- 
ing reeds  remember  to  keep  them  well  moistened. 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


Spool  Basket. 
T?ig.  12.     Model  No.  3.     Made  by  Miss  Mary  L,.  Mclntyre. 


w&ssj^ 


vxl 

v^    •^^%s^i| 


Reed  Work  Basket. 
Fig.   13.     Inside  of  Model  No.  4.     Made  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Mclntyre. 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


The  second  step  is  known  as  triple  twist.  Select  three  number 
three  reeds  for  weavers.  Dip  them  in  tepid  water  until  well  moistened. 
The  three  weavers  are  now  placed  behind  three  consecutive  stakes 
and  will  project  outward  to  the  right.  The  first  two  weavers  are 
named  respectively,  the  left-hand  weaver  and  the  right-hand  weaver. 
Take  the  left-hand  weaver,  bring  it  to  the  right  over  the  other  two 
weavers  and  in  front  of  two  stakes,  back  of  one  stake,  and  out  in  the 
next  open  space  at  the  right  of  the  right-hand  weaver.  The  weaver 
which  was  the  middle  one  before,  now  becomes  the  left-hand  weaver 
and  in  its  turn  is  treated  exactly  as  the  first  left-hand  weaver.  Con- 
tinue this  weaving  four  times  around  the  basket,  then  bring  weavers 
inside  the  basket  and  cut  them  off. 

Third  step — Select  a  number  three  weaver,  moisten  and  start 
single  weaving  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  basket  from  where  was 
finished  the  triple  twist.  This  is  done  by  placing  a  weaver  behind 
any  given  stake,  allowing  the  weaver  to  project  outward'  to  the  right. 
Bring  the  weaver  to  the  right  in  front  of  one  stake,  place  inside  the 
basket  and  out  back  of  the  next  stake.  Repeat  this  operation  for 
five  and  one-half  inches  in  height  using  extreme  care  that  the  stakes 
slant  slightly  outward.  Keep  in  mind  the  picture  of  an  ordinary 
flower-pot.  To  join  a  new  weaver,  leave  the  end  of  the  old  weaver 
inside  the  basket  and  slip  a  new  weaver  in  the  same  space  where  the 
old  weaver  would  come  out  and  continue  the  weaving. 

Fourth  step — Repeat  the  triple  twist,  working  five  rows  at  the 
top  of  the  basket. 

Fifth  step— Wet  the  stakes  as  before  until  they  will  bend  easily 
without  breaking.  Point  stakes  very  sharply  with  cutting  pliers. 
Take  any  given  stake,  bring  to  the  right  in  front  of  two  stakes,  push 
it  down  firmly  beside  the  second  stake  until  it  makes  a  scallop  one 
inch  high  from  the  top  of  triple  twist.  Repeat  this  process  with  each 
stake  until  all  have  been  turned  down.  Take  a  piece  of  one-quarter 
inch  wide  flat  reed  and  tack  around  the  base. 

Sixth  step — Coat  the  basket  by  making  a  mixture  of  one-third 
white-shellac  and  two-thirds  wood-alcohol,  apply  with  brush.  This 
will  make  the  basket  glossy  and  firm.  If  colors  are  desired,  apply 
ordinary  wood  stains. 

MODEL  NO.  2.— MAT. 
Made  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Mclntyre,  of  Boston. 

The  next  model  is  a  mat  (see  illustration).  In  making  this  we  will 
proceed  from  the  known  to  the  unknown.  You  have  already  learned 
how  to  weave  a  basket,  and  the  mat  is  equally  as  simple  when  once 
you  have  mastered  a  few  points.  You  may  at  first  be  confused  by  the 
number  of  reeds  with  which  you  are  to  work  in  making  this  mat,  but 
follow  the  directions  closely  and  bear  in  mind  that  you  are  preparing 
yourself  for  future  models.  All  baskets  must  have  a  base,  and  all 
round  bases  are  made  more  or  less  alike,  therefore,  remember  when 
once  you  can  "open  a  good  center"  and  make  a  good  mat,  the  ques- 
tion of  the  basket  base  will  tak?  care  of  itself.  This  is  the  first  re- 
quisite to  good  basketry  so  do  not  give  up  at  trifles.  If  the  first  at- 
tempt is  not  satisfactory,  try  again,  and  you  will  be  well  repaid  for 
your  effort. 

'9 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


First  step — Cut  twelve  pieces  of  number  three  reed  sixteen  inches 
long,  moisten  well  and  straighten;  find  the  center  of  six  reeds,  pierce 
and  slip  on  the  awl.  Move  the  awl  to  the  right  and  left  a  few  times 
making  an  incision  about  half  an  inch  long  in  the  six  punctured  reeds. 
Point  one  end  of  each  of  the  remaining  six  reeds  and  slip  through 
the  incision  in  the  punctured  reeds  withdrawing  the  awl  after  slip- 
ping through  three  or  four  reeds  which  wrill  make  space  for  the  re- 
maining two  reeds.  Be  sure  the  reeds  are  all  the  same  length  from 
the  center.  The  cross  pieces  are  now  held  firmly  in  place  and  you 
are  ready  for  weaving.  Note  you  now  have  four  sets  or  quarters  of 
six  reeds  which  are  to  form  the  stakes  of  the  mat.  The  punctured 
reeds  should  be  held  in  a  horizontal  position  while  the  inserted  reeds 
will  be  in  a  vertical  position. 

Second  step — Select  a  very  pliable  number  one  (fine)  weaver, 
moisten  well  and  double  so  as  to  form  a  loop  nearly  in  the  middle. 
Hold  one  end  of  the  loop  firmly  in  the  left  hand  and  twist  or  roll  the 
other  end  to  keep  the  reed  from  breaking.  Place  the  twisted  loop 
over  the  set  of  six  inserted  stakes.  Here,  again,  we  must  name  our 
weavers,  namely,  face-weaver  being  the  weaver  toward  you  and  the 
back-weaver  the  underneath  weaver.  Bring  the  face- weaver  to  the 
right  across  the  front  of  the  six  vertical  stakes  and  down  between  the 
first  and  second  quarter  UNDER  the  back-weaver,  bring  the  back- 
weaver  to  the  right  back  of  the  vertical  set  of  six  stakes  and  upward 
crossing  the  face-weaver  in  the  same  space.  The  cross-pieces  or  quar- 
ters are  now  revolved  from  right  to  left  bringing  the  left  hand  for- 
ward to  the  right,  one  space  or  to  the  next  quarter  of  six  stakes. 
Note  you  have  encircled  one  set  of  six  stakes,  and  repeat  this  process 
of  weaving  until  you  have  encircled  the  four  sets  or  quarters  of  six 
stakes  twice  around  taking  extreme  care  that  the  weavers  cross  each 
other  on  the  down  and  up  strokes  in  the  SAME  space. 

Third  step — Moisten  the  work  and  repeat  the  same  method  of 
weaving,  working  over  two  stakes  once  around  the  mat. 

Fourth  step — Continue  exactly  the  same  method  of  weaving,  sep- 
arating each  stake  carefully.  Care  also  should  be  taken  that  the  stakes 
radiate  at  equal  angles,  the  weaving  be  close  and  strokes  lay  parallel. 
Continue  this  method  of  weaving  (which  is  called  pairing)  until  the 
woven  diameter  of  the  mat  is  four  and  one-quarter  inches. 

Moisten  the  work  well  and  bring  the  two  weavers  to  the  front  in 
each  of  two  consecutive  spaces.  Introduce  another  weaver  in  the 
next  space  and  weave  four  rows  of  triple  twist  by  bringing  the  left- 
hand  weaver  to  the  right  in  front  of  two  stakes,  back  of  one  stake  and 
out  in  the  next  space.  The  second  weaver  now  becomes  the  left-hand 
weaver  and  is  treated  exactly  the  same  as  the  former  weavers.  After 
weaving  four  rows  of  triple  twist,  bring  all  of  the  weavers  to  the 
front  of  the  mat  and  cut  them  off,  leaving  ends  about  three  inches 
long  and  fasten  as  follows.  Take  the  left-hand  end,  bring  to  the  right 
over  two  stakes  and  tuck  under  one  row  of  weaving,  leaving  end  at 
back  of  mat.  Repeat  this  process  with  the  remaining  two  ends. 

Fifth    step — Moisten    mat    and    lay    on    flat    surface.      Even    the 
spaces  by  slipping  the  awl  carefully  beside  each  stake  changing  the 


PRACTICAL    I'.ASKKT     MAKING. 


position  to  the  right  or  left  as  necessary.  Point  the  ends  of  the  stakes 
sharply,  leaving  ends  five  inches  long.  For  the  border,  which  is  to 
complete  the  mat,  take  any  given  stake,  bring  it  to  the  right,  back  of 
two  stakes  and  over  one  stake  and  slip  down  by  the  side  of  the  third 
stake  until  the  arch  of  the  scallop  is  one  and  one-quarter  inches  deep 
from  the  top  of  the  triple  twist.  Repeat  this  operation  with  each 
stake.  If  you  find  difficulty  in  slipping  the  stakes  down,  open  the 
spaces  by  slipping  the  awl  beside  each  stake.  When  the  mat  is  fin- 
ished, it  should  form  a  true  circle.  Clip  all  ends  closely  at  the  back 
of  the  mat.  This  model  will  be  found  useful  by  all  housekeepers 
as  a  table  mat,  etc.  In  fact,  it  will  serve  as  a  nice  mat  for  the  basket 
just  finished  (model  number  one).  A  Whisk  Broom  HoJder  may  be 
made  by  making  two  mats  having  one  slightly  larger  than  the  other. 
The  smaller  one  should  be  curved  slightly  outward,  and  placed  in 
front  of  the  larger  mat  and  tied  together  firmly  with  bits  of  raffia  or 
ribbon  through  the  scallop  at  the  right  and  left  sides.  Make  a  hanger 
about  twenty  inches  long  by  braiding  strands  of  raffia  and  fasten  by 
tying  through  the  scallop  on  both  sides. 

Finish — The  mat  may  be  left  in  its  natural  color  by  giving  it  a 
coat  of  shellac  with  wood  alcohol  or  it  may  be  stained  with  wood 
stains  to  any  desired  color. 


y   x  ""X  ^f         ^^          Js*  ~**^s~-  ^™ 
>    /       v*      >   -^  ^  :— "^ ^-~  "'    —~-~l 

^&^*T; 


Reed  Work  Basket.     By  Mary  L.  Mclntyre. 
Fig.   14.     Model  No.  5. 


PRACTICAL    HASKirr    MAKING. 


MODEL  NO.  3.— SPOOL  BASKET. 

Take  10  stakes  No.  3  reed  20  inches  long  and  pierce  5  with  an  awl, 
leaving  5  stakes  on  the  awl,  then  slip  the  other  5  stakes  through  this 
puncture.  Now  open  the  center  just  as  is  done  in  the  mat  (Model  No. 
2)  and  weave  3^  inches.  Immerse  the  base  in  water  and  bend  the 
stakes  flatwise  upwards  with  a  pair  of  flat  pliers.  Slant  the  stakes 
backward  a  little  and  weave  as  in  single  weaving  by  going  over  one  and 
under  one  with  a  No.  i  weaver  until  you  have  woven  2j4  inches.  Now 
insert  three  weavers  in  three  consecutive  spaces  and  weave  with  the  left 
hand  weaver  in  front  of  2  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake.  Care  should 
always  be  taken  to  use  the  left  hand  weaver.  This  particular  weave  may 
be  called  the  "Wale."  Do  2  rows  of  wale,  leaving  the  ends  on  the 
inside  of  the  basket. 

Now  you  are  ready  for  the  border.  Take  No.  i  stake  and  bring  down 
to  right  back  of  2  stakes  in  front  of  2  stakes  and  back  of  i  stake,  leaving 
end  outside.  Take  No.  2  stake,  bring  forward  to  right,  back  of  2  stakes, 
in  front  of  2  stakes,  and  back  of  one  stake.  Drop  one  outside  and  so  on 
until  you  have  used  the  entire  number  of  stakes.  In  finishing  the  border 
great  care  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  stroke  started  in  the  border. 


MODEL  NO.  4.— WORK  BASKET. 

This  basket  is  started  with  10  spokes  cut  9  inches  long  of  No.  4  or  No. 
5  reed.  You  should  puncture  your  reeds  and  open  the  center  exactly  as 
given  in  the  mat  (Model  No.  2),  weaving  6*4  inches  for  the  base  of  the 
basket.  You  have  19  spokes  in  the  base,  so  you  should  now  cut  38 
pieces  of  No.  4  or  No.  5  reed  (whichever  is  used  for  your  basket) 
Cut  these  pieces  15  inches  long.  The  stakes  should  be  put  into  water 
for  a  few  minutes  in  order  that  they  may  become  softened.  Now  cut 
off  the  end  of  a  spoke  in  the  base  and  insert  a  new  spoke  beside  each 
spoke  in  the  base  of  your  basket.  Cut  only  every  other  spoke  in  the  base 
until  you  have  slipped  in  a  new  stake,  as  otherwise  the  weaving  will 
slip  off.  After  the  stakes  are  inserted  for  the  sides  of  your  basket,  bend 
the  stakes  flatwise  upwards  with  a  pair  of  flat  pliers.  Care  should  be 
taken  that  the  bend  comes  close  to  the  weaving  of  the  base,  otherwise 
your  basket  will  not  be  firm  on  the  base. 

Here  we  would  ask  you  to  look  at  any  basket  which  you  may  find 
handy  which  is  woven  of  rattan  or  willow,  and  if  you  notice  the  edge 
carefully,  you  will  notice  a  twist  or  roll  which  follows  around  the  entire 
basket.  This  is  called  the  ''upset"  and  is  the  next  stitch  to  be  used  on 
your  basket  where  the  sides  are  inserted  from  the  base.  This  particular 
stitch  is  used  for  strength  and  finish  between  the  base  and  the  sides  of 
the  basket.  To  make  this  stitch,  take  2  medium  sized  weavers,  generally 
No.  3  and  double  them,  leaving  one  end  of  each  weaver  about  18  or  20 
inches  longer  than  the  other  end;  then  take  any  given  stake  of  your 
basket  and  slip  the  loop  of  one  weaver  over  this  stake  and  the  other 
loop  of  the  second  weaver  around  the  third  stake  to  the  right.  Now 


PRACTICAL    ISASKKT     MAKING. 


Fig.   15.     Model  No.  6.     Made  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Mclntyre. 


Fig.   16.     Model  No.  7      Made  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Mclntyre. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 

take  the  first  weaver-  to  the  left,  bring  it  forward  to  the  right  over  3 
stakes  and  out  behind  one  stake.  Take  the  second  weaver,  bring  it 
forward  over  3  stakes  and  back  of  one.  Continue  this  process  until  you 
have  worked  2  rows  of  upsetting.  Cut  off  the  left  hand  weaver  not 
too  close  and  continue  with  the  remaining  three  weavers  over  2  stakes 
and  back  of  one  for  2  rows,  which  will  complete  your  upset. 

Take  two  No.  2  weavers  and  do  pairing  work  until  you  have  worked 
ij4  inches,  then  insert  3  weavers  in  3  consecutive  places  and  work 
four  rows  of  wale,  leaving  the  finishing  ends  on  the  outside  of  the 
basket. 

You  are  now  ready  for  your  border.  Take  any  given  stake  and  turn 
down  one  back  of  one  for  3  stakes.  Take  the  left  hand  stake  of  the  first 
stake  turned  down  and  bring  it  forward  in  front  of  2  and  back  of  one 
stake,  turning  down  the  back  standing  stake  which  is  left  standing  to 
the  left.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  stake  turned  down  should  lay 
parallel  with  the  stake  just  brought  in  front  of  2  and  back  of  i,  other- 
wise your  border  will  be  uneven.  When  pairs  of  reeds  are  reached 
always  use  the  right  hand  reed  of  the  left  hand  pairs.  Repeat  this 
process  until  all  the  stakes  have  been  turned  down.  Clip  off  the  ends 
of  the  stakes  on  the  outside  of  the  basket  with  a  pair  of  cutting  pliers. 


MODEL  NO.  5.— WORK  BASKET. 


Take  12  stakes  8^2  in.  long  No.  5  reed.  Pierce  the  reeds  and  weave 
the  base  just  as  is  done  in  the  preceding  models,  weaving  6^4  inches. 
Cut  23  stakes  No.  5  reed  13  inches  long  and  insert  these  stakes  as 
before.  After  the  stakes  have  been  soaked  in  water  a  few  minutes  and 
bent  flatwise  upward  close  to  the  base,  you  are  then  ready  for  the  upset 
as  mentioned  in  Model  No.  4.  After  working  i  row  of  upsetting  by 
going  in  front  of  three  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  with  4  weavers, 
cut  off  your  extreme  left  hand  weaver  and  work  3  rows  of  weaving  by 
going  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  with  your  left  hand 
weaver.  In  this  model  we  have  introduced  very  fine  braided  rush 
(which  is  probably  "Cat  of  Nine  Tails,"  commonly  called),  and  you 
should  work  8  rows  of  single  weaving,  taking  care  that  it  is  pressed 
down  firmly  as  you  go  along.  Insert  3  separate  No.  3  weavers  in 
3  consecutive  spaces  and  work  with  your  left  hand  weaver  in  front  of 
2  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  until  you  have  been  around  your  basket 
with  the  exception  of  2  stakes.  We  now  wish  to  call  your  attention  to 
the  reversing  point.  Notice  carefully  any  straw  hat  which  you  may 
have  and  you  will  see  that  the  finishing  side  is  always  one  coil  wider. 
We  reverse  in  the  stitch  called  wale  to  help  overcome  this  climbing 
effect  Now  come  back  to  our  reversing  point.  Notice  carefully  and 
you  will  see  that  the  first  stroke  in  your  wale  is  a  long  stroke,  and  you 
have  now  worked  within  two  stakes  of  this  long  stroke.  Take  your 
right  hand  wearer  and  work  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one 
stake  and  you  will  notice  that  the  weaver  comes  out  in  the  space  beyond 
the  long  stroke.  Then  take  the  next  right  hand  weaver  and  work  the 

24 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


same,  then  the  next  weaver.  You  have  now  reversed  your  wale  and  are 
ready  to  work  the  second  row  by  beginning  with  the  left  hand  weaver. 
You  should  work  3  rows  of  wale,  but  you  must  remember  to  reverse 
in  each  row  or  every  time  you  go  around  your  basket,  leaving  your 
ends  on  the  inside  of  the  basket. 

If  you  find  your  basket  is  not  quite  even  in  height,  take  the  awl  or 
pliers  and  rap  the  weaving  lightly  to  make  the  weaving  all  of  the  same 
height. 

You  are  then  ready  for  your  border.  Plunge  your  basket  into  water 
for  a  few  moments  in  order  that  the  stakes  may  be  bent  more  easily, 
then  bend  the  stakes  flatwise.  Turn  down  4  consecutive  stakes  back  of 
one  stake.  Take  the  left  hand  stake  turned  down  and  bring  it  forward 
to  the  right  in  front  of  3  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake.  Then  take  No. 
2  stake  and  bring  it  forward  to  the  right  in  front  of  three  and  back  of 
one  stake.  You  will  notice  that  after  you  have  brought  4  stakes 
forward  you  have  pairs  of  stakes  rather  than  single  ones.  Always  take 
the  right  hand  one  of  the  left  hand  pair.  Repeat  this  process  until  you 
have  used  the  entire  number  of  stakes,  taking  care  that  your  stroke 
always  keeps  the  same  even  direction.  Clip  the  stakes  left  on  the 
outside  of  the  basket  with  a  pair  of  cutting  pliers,  and  your  basket  is 
completed. 


MODEL  NO.  6.— OVAL  BASKET. 


Take  5  stakes  12  inches  long  No.  5  reed  for  backbone.  Take  12  stakes 
7  inches  long  No.  5  reeds  for  ribs. 

Piece  the  12  ribs  and  push  the  5  long  reeds  for  backbone  through  the 
short  reeds  which  become  the  ribs  of  the  base.  Now  you  are  ready  for 
weaving,  after  the  6  pairs  of  ribs  have  been  separated  so  that  the  spaces 
are  equally  divided  by  pushing  the  ribs  along  the  backbone  of  the  base, 
making  the  extreme  pairs  3^  inches  from  the  ends  of  the  backbone 
stakes.  Now  take  a  No.  i  weaver  and  cut  it  nearly  in  the  middle  and 
slip  the  2  ends  through  the  puncture  of  the  first  pair  of  left  hand  ribs 
at  one  end  of  the  basket.  Then  cross  the  double  weaver  to  the  right 
obliquely  over  first  pair  of  ribs  and  bring  across  the  backbone  beneath 
to  the  right  of  the  backbone  and  bring  the  pairs  of  weavers  up  to  the 
right  obliquely  over  the  first  pair  of  ribs,  crossing  the  first  pair  of 
oblique  weavers  at  right  angles,  then  beneath  the  backbone  again  and 
encircle  the  5  reeds  or  backbone  4  times  with  the  double  weavers.  Slip 
t\vo  more  ribs  along  and  repeat  the  same  process  as  before,,  and  so  on, 
until  you  have  used  the  6  pairs  of  ribs,  then  fasten  by  slipping  end  under 
other  weaving. 

Now  take  a  long  No.  i  weaver  and  double  about  5  feet  from  the  end, 
this  being  the  short  weaver.  Place  the  loop  around  the  backbone  on  one 
side  and  do  paring  as  in  the  round  base  3  times  around  the  base.  The 
fourth  time  separate  backbone  stakes  by  twos.  The  next  time  separate 
backbone  stakes  individually,  including  two  outside  pairs  of  rib  spokes, 
which  must  be  separated  to  form  the  shoulders. 

=  5 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


The  4  pairs  of  center  ribs  or  spokes  are  to  be  worked  double  all  the 
way  along.  This  is  done  for  strength.  Now  pairing  continues  for  3 
or  4  rows  or  until  you  reach  end  of  short  weaver.  Now  continue  the 
work  with  one  single  weaver,  working  over  two  and  under  one  until 
you  have  worked  9  inches  in  length.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the 
round  comes  sharp  and  only  from  the  shoulder  spokes. 

Cut  35  stakes  No.  4  reed  15  inches  long  and  insert  them  so  they  will 
be  equally  divided  around  the  base.  Before  inserting  stakes  they  should 
all  be  pointed.  Now  work  4  rows  of  upset  in  the  usual  way  with  a 
No.  3  weaver.  Insert  a  by-stake  at  the  right  hand  side  of  each  stake. 
These  need  not  be  more  than  3  or  4  inches  long.  Take  two  No.  2 
weavers  and  begin  what  is  called  "slewing,"  which  is  two  or  more 
weavers  used  as  one,  thus  going  over  one  and  under  one.  Repeat  this 
work  until  you  have  worked  2  inches.  Now  take  3  weavers  No.  3  reed 
and  work  4  rows  of  wale  over  two  and  under  one. 

You  are  now  ready  for  the  border,  which  is  a  double  border.  First 
immerse  your  basket  in  water  for  a  moment,  then  cut  off  the  right  hand 
by-stakes  to  the  level  of  the  wale  and  pinch  your  stakes  sideways  with 
a  pair  of  flat  pliers.  Now  take  any  given  stake  numbering  it  No.  I  and 
bring  down  back  of  No.  2  and  3  stakes,  then  take  No.  2  stake  and  bring 
down  back  of  No.  3  and  4  stake,  then  No.  3,  and  bring  down  back  of  No. 
4  and  5  stake,  then  No.  4  down  back  of  No.  5  and  6  stake.  You  have 
now  4  stakes  down  in  succession  which  will  form  the  4  active  parts 
with  which  you  are  to  border.  For  the  second  stroke  go  back  to  No. 
i  stake,  which  is  down,  and  bring  it  in  front  of  3  stakes  and  back  of  one 
stake  and  bring  down  No.  5  stake,  which  is  standing,  so  that  it  will  lay 
parallel  with  No.  I  in  the  same  space.  Now  take  No.  2  stake  and  repeat 
the  same  process,  and  so  on  until  you  have  finished  your  border.  When 
you  have  reached  pairs  always  use  the  right  hand  stake  of  the  pairs. 
Now  clip  the  ends  of  the  stakes  left  on  the  outside  of  the  basket  and 
shape  with  your  hands  slightly,  and  your  basket  is  complete. 


MODEL  NO.  7.— MADEIRA  BASKET. 


Cut  ten  stakes  No.  4  reed  8  inches  long,  puncture  and  open  the 
center  a?  usual  with  No.  I  weaver.  After  you  have  woven  about  3 
inches,  or  as  soon  as  the  spaces  will  allow,  bring  the  back  weaver  for- 
ward and  you  will  then  have  two  weavers  in  two  consecutive  spaces. 
Now  insert  a  No.  2  weaver  in  the  next  space,  thus  making  three 
consecutive  weavers  in  three  consecutive  spaces.  Take  the  left  hand 
weaver  and  work  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake,  just  as 
is  done  in  the  ordinary  wale,  and  do  not  reverse  in  weaving  this  base. 
If  fine  work  is  desired,  weave  the  base  with  No.  2  weavers  and  weave 
()l/4  inches  in  diameter.  Cut  80  stakes  No.  3  reed  16  inches  long. 
Insert  one  stake  on  each  side  of  the  base  stake  after  cutting  each  stake 
close  to  the  base.  Remember  to  cut  only  every  other  stake,  and  then 
slip  in  your  new  stakes,  as  if  you  cut  all  the  stakes  around  the  base 
your  weaving  will  slip  off.  Now,  after  the  new  stakes  have  been 

26 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


slipped  in  beside  the  old  ones,  slip  in  two  more  side  by  side  between 
each  set  of  pairs.  This  will  use  up  the  80  stakes.  Moisten  and  turn 
carefully  upward  and  work  three  rows  of  upset  with  three  weavers 
No.  2  reed,  working  in  front  of  two  pairs  of  stakes  and  back  of  one 
pair  stakes.  Take  any  given  pair  of  stakes,  bring  it  forward  to  the 
right,  making  the  bend  of  the  reeds  about  2l/2  inches  high,  bring  it 
back  of  two  pairs  of  stakes,  in  front  of  two  pairs  of  stakes  and  back 
of  one  pair  of  stakes,  slipping  the  ends  of  the  working  pair  through 
the  upset  or  wale.  By  doing  this  you  have  made  a  secure  fastening. 
Take  the  next  pair  of  stakes  to  the  right  and  bring  back  of  two  pairs 
stakes,  in  front  two  pairs  of  stakes  and  back  one  pair  stakes  and  slip 
through  the  upset.  Repeat  this  same  process  with  the  entire  pairs 
of  stakes,  taking  care  that  the  pairs  brought  forward  take  the  same 
curve,  and  be  sure  that  the  scallop  is  of  the  same  height  as  you  work.  If 
you  find  that  the  scallop  is  not  perfectly  true,  slip  your  stakes  a  trifle 
to  make  true.  Now  lay  the  basket  bottom  side  up  on  the  table  and  finish 
the  foot  of  the  basket  with  what  is  called  the  simple  skirt  border.  Take 
any  given  pair  of  stakes  and  bring  back  of  two  pairs  of  stakes  and  in 
front  of  two  pairs  of  stakes,  leaving  the  ends  inside  and  beneath  the 
base.  Take  the  next  pair  to  right  and  bring  it  back  of  two  pairs  and 
in.  front  of  two  pairs  stakes  and  leave  the  ends  inside.  Continue  this 
same  process  until  all  the  stakes  have  been  used.  Be  sure  that  each 
pair  is  turned  even,  thus  giving  the  same  height.  Clip  the  ends  from 
inside  and  your  basket  is  complete. 

You  will  be  able  to  roll  this  basket  back  if  you  wish  by  pressing 
the  rim  all  the  way  around  backward.  If  you  wish  it  to  slant  inward, 
press  the  top  of  the  basket  inward  all  the  way  around.  One  can  make 
almost  any  shape  of  a  Maderia  basket  by  simply  working  the  stakes 
in  the  direction  for  the  shape  of  the  basket  desired. 


MODEL  NO.  8. 
OVAL  LUNCH  BASKET. 


Make  an  oval  bottom  after  the  style  of  model  No.  6.  The  size  should 
be  3  by  6  inches  with  a  slight  dishing.  Cut  twenty-seven  stakes  of 
No.  4  reed  15  inches  long.  Point  the  ends  of  stakes  and  insert  so  as  to 
have  the  spaces  at  the  ends  of  basket  slightly  closer  than  at  the  sides. 
Weave  four  rows  of  three  strand  upset  over  two,  under  one,  with  No. 
3  reed.  Weave  2  inches  of  over  one  under  one ;  weave  with  No.  2  reed, 
and  then  make  what  is  called  the  cover-ridge.  The  cover-ridge  is  made 
with  fine  weavers  of  No.  3  reed,  over  two,  under  three,  one  row. 
When  you  have  that  row  done  cut  off  the  two  first  weavers  and  con- 
tinue with  the  remaining  three  weavers  over  two,  under  one,  for  three 
rows,  making  a  special  effort  to  flare  stakes  while  putting  on  these 
three  last  rows  of  wale. 

You  are  now  ready  for  double  basket  border.  Wet  your  stakes  and 
finish  them  very  close  to  wale;  lay  Nos.  i,  2,  3  and  4  stakes  behind  one 

27 


PRACTICAL    15ASKKT     MAKINd. 


in  succession.  Take  up  No.  I  again,  bring  forward  over  three  and 
back  of  one.  This  brings  your  No.  i  stake  out  in  No.  6  space.  Bring 
down  your  next  standing  stake,  which  is  No.  5,  back  of  one.  If  rightly 
done,  this  stake,  No.  5,  will  come  out  in  same  space  as  No.  i  stake  to 
the  right  of  it.  Do  the  same  thing  with  No.  2,  3  and  4  stakes.  On 
reaching  No.  5  stake  you  find  two  stakes  in  one  space ;  the  longer  one, 
the  one  to  the  right,  is  the  one  to  use.  The  process  described  is  to  be 
followed  until  every  standing  stake  has  been  taken  down  and  taken  up 
again  for  the  second  stake.  Your  border  is  finished  when  there  is  an 


Fig.   17.     Model   Xo.  8.     Made  by   Mr.    Hollander. 


end  of  a  stake  in  each  space  of  the  basket.  The  next  thing  is  the  cover. 
Make  the  same  as  bottom,  with  the  exception  of  size  and  style  of 
weave.  You  must  weave  the  cover  to  the  size  of  cover-ridge,  and  the 
weave  should  be  over  two,  under  one.  When  you  have  woven  to  the 
required  size,  cut  off  the  ends  of  cover  spokes,  inserting  in  their  stead 
No.  3  spokes  about  8  inches  long.  Insert  one  on  each  side  of  one  spoke 
and  one  on  right  side  only  of  next  spoke.  With  these  stakes  you  now 
make  the  cover  border  in  the  same  way  you  made  the  border  for  the 
basket.  The  handle  is  the  next  step.  Take  a  piece  of  No.  7  reed 
18  inches  long;  point  at  both  ends.  This  is  called  the  handle-bow. 
Insert  one  end  of  handle-bow  down  through  the  weaving  beside  the 

28 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 

center  stake  at  one  side  of  basket.  Bend  the  bow  in  the  shape  you  wish 
for  handle  and  insert  the  other  end  of  bow  beside  middle  stake  of  the 
other  side  of  basket.  The  handle  should  be  about  as  high  above  cover 
as  the  border  of  basket  is  from  table.  The  width  of  handle  should  be  a 
little  less  than  width  of  top  of  basket.  You  are  now  ready  to  cover  the 
handle  or  wind  the  handle.  Take  long  No.  3  weaver,  cut  in  two,  point 
the  ends  and  insert  them  beside  the  handle-bow,  to  the  left,  as  basket 
faces  you.  Pass  the  two  weavers  under  the  bow  from  right  to  left — 
five  times.  See  that  the  five  strokes  are  evenly  divided.  Now  push 
your  weavers,  with  help  of  bodkin,  through  the  wale  under  second  row 
on  opposite  side  of  bow.  Return  by  placing  each  stroke  in  the  center, 
between  the  strokes  already  on  the  bow.  Insert  your  weavers  through 
the  wale,  under  second  row  on  same  side  of  bow  as  you  first  started. 
This  twisting  back  and  forth  continues  until  the  handle-bow  is  com- 
pletely covered.  The  ends  of  your  weavers  are  finished  by  tucking 
them  through  the  border  and  wale  on  right  hand  side  of  handle-bow 
and  cut  off. 

You  are  now  ready  to  fasten  cover  to  basket.  Take  a  No.  3  reed 
about  12  to  18  inches  long;  twist  this  weaver  until  the  fibers  are  well 
separated.  With  this  you  will  now  make  the  hinge.  Push  the  ends  of 
your  weaver  through  cover  from  under  side,  one  on  each  side  of  fourth 
rib  spoke  from  left  as  basket  faces  you.  Insert  weaver  as  near  to 
border  of  cover  as  possible.  Twist  the  two  weavers  together,  making 
a  two-strand  twist  about  3  inches  long.  Bring  this  around  the  handle 
and  push  ends  of  weaver  through  cover,  one  at  each  side  sixth  rib- 
cover-spoke.  Give  two  or  three  twists  to  weavers  inside  of  cover  and 
push  one  end  back  to  top,  over  one  spoke  and  through  to  inside  and 
cut  off.  The  cover  lift  is  made  by  same  kind  of  two-strand  twist, 
commencing  about  \Y\  inches  up  from  border  of  cover  at  right  hand 
side  of  the  basket  and  finishing  near  the  border.  The  low,  or  finishing 
end  of  the  lift,  should  be  at  the  corner  of  basket  and  the  starting  point 
should  be  at  least  I  inch  to  left,  and  the  lift  should  be  about  i  inch  high. 

MODEL  NO.  9.     PITCHED  WASTE   BASKET. 

1.  Make  a  round  bottom  8  inches  in  diameter. 

2.  Cut  31  stakes  of  No.  5  reeds  and  17  inches  long. 

3.  Point  your  stakes  and  insert  them  into  bottom. 

4.  Pinch  your  stakes  and  turn  them  upward. 

5.  Put  on  two  rows  of  4  rod  upset,  over  3,  under  i,  with  No.  4  reeds. 

6.  Cut  out  the  left  hand  weaver  and  put  on  two  more  rows  of  upset 
with  remaining  3  weavers,  over  2,  under  i. 

7.  Gather  up  31  short  ends  of  No.  3  reeds,  say  from  8  to  10  inches 
long,  insert  the  first  one  in  any  given  space  and  take  one  stroke  to  the 
right — that  is  over  i,  under  i,  and  leave  the  end  sticking  outside.    In- 
sert the  next  one  in  the  space  next  to  the  left  of  first  one  and  take  one 
stroke  to  right.     Do  the  same  thing  with  the  rest  of  31  ends.     Leave 
all  the  ends  outside  until  next  step  is  taken. 

8.  Put  on  i  inch  of  plain  weaving  No.  3  reeds. 

9.  Take  up  the  short  ends  left  outside,  one  after  the  other,  and  take 

29 


1'KACTICAL 


one  stroke  to  the  right  on  top  of  plain  weaving  and  one  space  to  the 
right  of  the  under  stroke,  leaving  your  ends  outside  again. 

10.  Weave  another  inch  of  plain  weaving. 

11.  Take  up  short  ends  again  and  take  another  stroke  with  them, 
on  top  of  second  row  of  plain  weaving. 

12.  Put  on  two  rows  of  3  rod  wale  No.  4  reeds. 

13.  Cut  off  your  short  ends. 

14.  Cut  31  by-stakes  13  inches  long,  No.  5  reeds.    Point  them  and  in- 
sert one  to  right  of  each  stake,  down  to  bottom. 

15.  Make  a  straight  fitch  1*4  inches  high.     You  do  this  by  taking  a 


Fig.   18.     Model  No.  Q.     Made  by   Mr.  Hollander. 


soft  No.  5  weaver,  double  in  the  middle,  pass  the  loop  around  any 
given  pair  of  stakes  1*4  inches  high  and  give  one  twist  to  your  fitching 
weaver — holding  one  part  of  same  in  each  hand.  In  giving  the  twist 
you  pass  the  outside  weaver,  which  should  be  held  in  left  hand,  under 
the  inside  weaver,  which  is  held  in  right  hand.  Take  care  to  hold  your 
stakes  in  right  position  with  thumb  of  right  hand.  Hold  fitch  rod 
firmly  in  position,  after  having  made  twist,  with  thumb  and  first  finger 
of  left  hand  while  you  pass  one  of  the  weavers — the  under  one — over 
the  next  set  of  stakes  to  be  fitched.  You  treat  all  the  stakes  in  same 
manner.  When  all  have  been  treated,  you  pass  the  outside  weaver  to 

30 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


the  inside  of  basket  through  the  twist  which  binds  first  set,  and  brings 
out  inside  weaver  on  top  of  fitch  between  the  twist  and  second  stake. 
The  first  weaver,  which  you  have  passed  inside  through  first  loop  of 
fitch,  is  now  brought  out  on  top  of  fitch  in  second  space.  You  now 
have  two  weavers  sticking  out. 

16.  Insert  a  third  weaver  into  third  space  and  proceed  to  put  on  one 
row  of  wale. 

17.  Put  on  il/2  inch  three  rod  slew  with  No.  3  reeds.     Slewing  is 
weaving  two  or  more  weavers  as  one. 

1 8.  One  row  3  rod  wale. 

19.  V.  fitch  \y$  inch  high.    This  is  similar  to  step  15  excepting  that 
in  starting  you  take  up  the  right  hand  side — or  by  stake — of  first  set 
and  left  hand  stake  of  second  set  and  bind  them  together  in  the  center 
of  the  space. 

20.  One  row  3  rod  wale. 

2 1. One  and  a  half  inch  slewing-like  No.  17  step. 

22.  One  row  of  wale. 

23.  A  i  J/2  inch  cross  one  fitch.     In  starting  this  fitch  you  take  right 
of  first  set  and  left  of  third  set.    The  left  hand  stakes  on  the  outside 
and  right  hand  ones  on  the  inside. 

24.  One  row  of  wale. 

25.  One  row,  three  parts  slew  wale.    To  do  this  you  cut  12  weavers 
of  No.  3  reeds.    The  length  to  be  once  and  a  third  the  circumference 
of  basket  at  point  where  you  wish  the  wale.     These  12  weavers  are 
divided  into  three  parts  which  are  treated  as  three  single  rods. 

26.  Two  rows  of  3  rod  wale. 

27.  Make  top  level,  cut  off  by  stakes  close  to  wale  and  wet  and  pinch 
your  stakes. 

28.  Put  on  five  part  braid  border.    Cut  10  No.  5  weavers,  one  and 
one-third  circumference  of  basket  to  be  the  length.  "Tie  the  weavers  at 
one  end.    Place  4  weavers  to  the  inside  of  basket  on  top  of  wale.    Take 
2  weavers  of  the  6  that  have  been  left  outside,  pass  them  on  top  of  the 
other  4  weavers  and  to  inside  of  basket  in  front  of  No.  i  stake,  take 
up  extreme  left  hand  set  of  inside  weavers,  bring  to  outside  in  front 
No.  i  stake,  on  top  of  set  of  weavers  you  have  just  passed  in.     Bring 
down  first  stake  so  as  to  lay  beside  your  return  stroke.     The  left 
set  of  outside  weavers  is  next  brought  over  in  front  No.  2  stake  and 
left  inside  set  comes  out  in  same  space  on  top,  and  No.  2  stake  comes 
down  with  it.     This  is  continued  to  the  end  and  then  the  stakes  are 
cut  off.     This  is  simply  a  five  part  braid  with  a  stake  brought  down 
with  every  other  stroke. 

29.  Make  the  handles — cut  2  pieces  of  No.  6  or  No.  7  reed  about  8 
inches  long  for  handle  bows.     Point  the  ends.     Insert  the  ertd  of  one 
bow  down  beside  No.  i  stake  down  through  border  and  wale.     Bend 
to  the  right,  inserting  the  other  pointed  end  beside  No.  4  stake.     The 
bow  should  be  about  an  inch  and  a  half  high.     The  second  bow  is 
inserted  directly  opposite. 

30.  The  winding  of  the  handles  is  done  by  taking  a  soft  Nio.  4  reed, 
tuck  the  end  to  the  left  of  handle  bow  as  it  faces  you,  pass  weaver  in 
from  you  three  times.     Pass  the  weaver  to  inside  of  basket  at  right 
of  bow  at  n  point  under  border  and  at  least  one  ro\v  of  waling.    Turn 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


the  basket  so  that  you  can  work  weaver  from  you  again  only  handle 
will  now  be  on  farther  side  from  you.  Take  your  three  strokes,  return 
to  opposite  side  as  you  did  on  previous  time.  Keep  this  up  from  one 
side  to  the  other  until  the  handle  bow  is  completely  covered. 

After  the  first  time,  you  must  go  through  the  wale  between  previous 
weaver  and  handle  bow. 


BRAIDED  GREEN  RUSH  WASTE  BASKET. 

Weave  a  base  as  described  in  the  seventh  model  (Madeira),  and 
weave  9  inches.  Insert  enough  stakes  to  make  forty-five  in  all,  No.  6 
reed  19  inches  long.  Put  on  the  upset  as  before  described,  working 
about  nine  rows  in  all,  pains  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  stakes  standing 
erect.  Take  braided  rush  and  dip  it  in  warm  water  for  a  few  minutes 
to  moisten  and  keep  the  rush  from  cracking,  weave  ten  rows,  care 
should  be  taken  that  the  rush  is  evenly  packed  down,  as  the  work, 
otherwise,  will  not  be  firm  and  even.  Now  work  one  row  of  wale 
with  No.  3  weavers  and  be  sure  to  reverse.  Here  we  will  introduce 
what  we  call  Slew  Wale.  This  is  worked  exactly  as  you  work  single 
wale,  except  use  three  weavers  in  the  place  of  one  weaver.  Now 
arrange  nine  weavers  and  work  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one 
stake  with  three  weavers  used  as  one.  You  have  nine  weavers  work- 
ing, and  we  might  say  that  No.  2  reed  is  about  the  right  size  to  use. 
Reverse  this  work  as  though  it  were  single  wale  and  only  work  one 
row.  Be  sure  the  three  weavers  lay  exactly  parallel,  leaving  ends  on 
the  inside  of  the  basket.  Take  three  No.  3  weavers  and  work  one 
row  of  wale.  Take  the  braided  rush  and  unravel  a  few  yards  and 
work  five  rows  of  paring  which  is  working  two  weavers,  as  is  done  in 
the  mat. 

Work  one  row  of  wale  with  No.  3  weavers.  Work  one  row  of  slew 
wale  No.  2  weavers  as  before.  Work  one  row  of  wale  with  No.  3 
weavers.  Work  ten  rows  of  braided  rush,  and  we  might  say  that  the 
rush  panels  should  be  of  the  same  width.  Take  No.  3  weavers  and 
work  six  rows  of  wale  and  use  the  braid  border  as  is  described  in  model 
No.  Q. 


WHITE  RUSH  WASTE  BASKET. 

Cut  ten  stakes  10  inches  long  No.  5  reed.  Open  the  center  as  usual, 
weaving  4  inches  in  diameter,  after  which  bring  the  back  weaver  up 
and  insert  another,  making  three  consecutive  weavers  in  three  con- 
secutive spaces,  and  finish  the  base  with  three  weavers,  making  the 
diameter  8  inches.  Cut  forty-one  stakes  No.  6  reed  24  inches  long 
and  insert  the  stakes  as  usual  one  beside  each  stake  and  then  slip  in 
another  between  each  stake.  You  will  find  you  have  three  stakes  left, 
and  you  may  slip  these  in  wherever  you  find  the  spaces  allow  the  most 
space.  Pinch  and  bend  as  usual,  putting  on  two  rows  of  upsetting 
with  four  weavers  No.  3  reed,  always  reversing.  Cut  off  the  end 

33 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


of  the  left  hand  weaver  and  work  five  rows  more  of  upset  with  three 
No.  3  weavers,  reversing  each  time  you  encircle  the  basket.  Moisten 
the  white  braided  rush  and  insert  behind  any  given  stake  and  work  in 
front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake.  Repeat  this  process  all 
through  the  basket,  weaving  10  inches.  Be  sure  that  the  rush  is  kept 
even  and  well  packed.  Take  three  No.  3  weavers  and  work  five  rows 
of  wale  and  reverse  as  usual.  Wet  the  stakes  well  and  pinch  side- 
wise.  Take  any  given  stake  and  bring  to  the  right  back  of  two  stakes, 
laying  it  down  in  the  space  where  it  would  come  out.  Bring  the  next 
stake  down  back  of  two  stakes  and  lay  it  down  as  before.  Repeat 
this  same  process  until  all  the  stakes  have  been  turned  down.  Take 
any  given  stake  and  bring  it  to  the  right  up  under  two  stakes,  then 
take  the  next  stake  to  the  one  just  used  and  bring  up  under  two  stakes. 
and  so  on  until  you  have  used  this  stroke  with  all  the  stakes,  slipping 
the  last  stake  under  the  loop  made  by  bringing  the  first  stake  used  up 
under  two.  For  the  last  stroke,  take  any  given  stake  and  bring  to  the 
right  over  two  stakes  and  slip  through  to  inside  of  basket  on  top  of 
wale.  Repeat  this  same  process  with  all  of  the  remaining  stakes.  You 
vvill  not  find  this  a  hard  border  to  work  except  that  you  may  find  it  a 
little  hard  to  pull  the  stakes  through  the  wale.  This  is  called  a  Three 
Part  Combination  border. 

You  will  notice  from  the  plate  that  there  are  four  small  bands 
worked  into  this  basket,  and  we  might  say  that  this  is  a  fancy  braid 
worked  at  the  same  time  the  rush  was  worked,  but  it  would  be  difficult 
to  describe  this,  and  so  we  would  suggest  that  you  make  a  small  braid 
of  any  colored  raphia  that  you  wish,  and  after  the  braid  has  been 
worked  or  braided,  cut  it  in  two  pieces  and  draw  the  raphia  braids  in 
at  right  angles,  making  crosses  over  every  other  stake. 


ROPE  WASTE  BASKET. 


Cut  twelve  stakes  9  inches  long  No.  5  reed  and  open  a  center  as  in 
any  other  basket.  After  you  have  woven  a  center  about  4  inches  in 
diameter,  bring  back  weaver  up  and  insert  another  weaver,  thus 
making  three  working  weavers  of  No.  2  or  3  reed,  and  finish  your 
base  as  is  worked  in  model  No.  7.  This  particular  stitch  is  strong  and 
is  often  used  in  finishing  the  base  of  waste  baskets  where  many  stakes 
are  to  be  inserted  from  the  base.  Cut  forty-five  stakes  No.  6  reed 
17  inches  long  and  insert  these  as  usual,  after  moistening  the  base 
and  the  stakes.  One  may  be  inserted  on  each  side  of  each  of  the 
spokes  coming  from  the  base  and  insert  the  balance  so  as  to  about 
equalize  the  spaces.  Moisten  and  pinch  flatwise  upward  and  work 
two  rows  of  upsetting  with  four  working  weavers,  reversing  each  time 
you  encircle  the  basket.  Cut  off  the  left  hand  weavers  and  work  the 
balance  of  the  upset  four  rows  with  three  weavers  No.  3  reed,  working 
in  front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  and  reverse  as  usual. 
We  will  introduce  Sisal  rope  in  this  basket,  and  we  might  ask  you  in 
starting  work  to  use  much  care  in  your  weaving,  as  if  the  rope  is 
worked  too  slack  your  result  will  not  be  satisfactory.  Take  one  end 

34 


>MJ 

'  w;Wi&!/W? 


35 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


of  your  rope  and  insert  in  any  given  space,  bring  weaver  (rope)  in 
front  of  three  stakes,  back  of  one  stake,  in  front  of  one  stake,  back 
of  one  stake,  in  front  of  two  stakes,  back  of  one  stake,  in  front  of  one 
stake,  back  of  one  stake,  and  so  on  the  entire  way  around  your  basket. 
You  will  undoubtedly  miss  your  stroke,  and  should  you  do  so,  take 
the  work  out,  as  the  long  stroke  (in  front  of  three  stakes)  should 
come  one  space  farther  to  the  left  each  time  you  complete  a  row  of 
weaving  around  the  basket.  Work  this  same  combination  of  strokes 
until  you  have  woven  8*4  inches.  Be  sure,  too,  that  the  weaving  is 
kept  close  and  firm  all  through  the  basket.  Insert  three  No.  3  weavers 
and  work  six  rows  of  wale,  reversing  each  time  you  encircle  the  basket. 
Moisten  the  stakes  and  pinch  sidewise  and  use  the  braid  border  as 
given  in  model  No.  9.  Clip  the  ends  of  stakes  and  the  basket  is  com- 
pleted. 


BARREL  SHAPED  SCRAP  BASKET. 

1.  Make  a  round  bottom  8  inches  in  diameter  in  the  usual  way. 

2.  Insert  thirty-six  No.  5  stakes  25  inches  long. 

3.  Pinch  the  stakes,  turn  them  up  and  put  on  two  rows  of  four 
weaver  upset  over  three  and  under  one. 

4.  When  the  two  rows  are  on,  cut  off  the  extreme  left  weaver  and 
put  on  two  more  rows  with  remaining  three  weavers,  over  two,  under 
one. 

5.  Bystake  with  same  size  stakes  13  inches  long — one  to  the  right  of 
each  stake. 

6.  Weave  il/>  inches  of  plain  weaving,  over  one,  under  one,  with 
two  weavers,  alternating. 

7.  Two  rows  of  three-rod  wale. 

8.  One  and  a  half  inch  two  weaver  slew. 

9.  Two  rows  three  rod  wale. 

10.  Work  out  a  panel  of  plain  three  block  diamond.     To  do  this 
divide  your  thirty-six  stakes  into  four  parts  of  nine  stakes  each.    Start 
a  No.  3  weaver  behind  any  given  stake,  calling  the  first  stake  to  the 
right  from  that  point  No.  i  stake.     As  you  proceed  with  this  weaver 
over  one,  unde  rone,  it  will  pass  in  front  of  the  odd  numbered  stakes. 
When  half  way  around  you  insert  another  No.  3  weaver,  which  must 
pass  in  front  of  the  even  numbered  stakes.     Your  object  now  is  to 
pass  your  weavers  in  front  of  Nos.   1-10-19  an(l  2&  stakes  without 
passing  behind  them  at  all.    When  your  weaver  does  not  come  in  front 
of  the  above  nanied  stakes  in  the  natural  course,  you  must  skip  two 
stakes  from  behind  in  the  stroke  before  reaching  the  block,  and  skip 
two  again  after  passing  in  front  to  return  the  weaver  into  its  natural 
course.    When  you  have  your  four  block  made,  that  is.  gone  in  front 
of  stakes  Nos.  i,  10,  19  and  28  five  times  in  succession,  you  work  out 
a  block  on  each  of  the  following  stakes:     Nos.  36-1,  Nos.  9-11,  Nos. 
18-20  and  Nos.  27-29.    The  third  time  your  blocks  will  come  on  stakes 
Nos.  35,  i,  3  for  first  diamond;  Nos.  8,  10,  12,  second  diamond;  Nos. 
17,  19,  21.  third  diamond,  and  Nos.  26,  28.  30.  for  fourth  diamon-1. 

36 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


The  fourth  time  the  two  blocks  will  come  on  same  stakes  as  second 
time.  The  fifth  time  the  one  block  to  each  diamond  will  come  on  same 
stakes  as  first  time. 

11.  Weave  two  rows  three  rod  wale. 

12.  Weave  il/2  inches  two  rod  slew  weave. 

13.  Two  rows  three  rod  wale. 

14.  Weave  il/2  inches  over  two,  under  I,  weave. 

15.  Two  rows  of  wale. 

1 6.  Weave  il/2  in  over  i,  under  i,  weave. 

17.  Four  rows  of  wale. 

1 8.  Cut  off  by  stakes  and  put  on  double  basket  border  as  in  No.  5. 

Important  Points. 

Your  weavers  are  of  No.  3  reeds  and  your  wale  and  upset  rods  of 
No.  4  reeds.  The  diameter  at  bottom  is  8  inches,  flared  to  12  inches 
at  6  inches  high,  and  drawn  back  to  8  inches  at  top. 


THE  ETERNAL  WASTE  BASKET. 

1.  Round  8  inches  bottom. 

2.  Insert  forty  No.  5  stakes  23  inches  long. 

3.  Five  rows  of  four  rod  upset  over  three,  under  one. 

4.  Weave  with  No.  3  weaver  over  two,  under  two,  half  way  around 
basket;  insert  another  weaver  to  work  contrary  to  first  weaver;  con- 
tinue this  way  ten  rows — five  in  front  and  five  behind. 

5.  Cut  off  your  weavers  and  reinsert  them  so  as  to  form  a  block 
between  every  two  in  under  row  ten  times  around  as  before.    Do  this 
till  you  have  four  rows  of  blocks.    This  is  a  panel  of  Dutch  banding. 

6.  Two  rows  of  four  rod  wale  over  three,  under  one. 

7.  Work  out  a  2-inch  panel  of  what  is  sometimes  called  arrow-head 
waling — and  at  other  times  right  and  left  hand  waling,  or  again,  Japan- 
ese waling.    You  start  with  three  weavers,  one  row  common  waling; 
reverse  and  weave  one  row  over  two,  under  one ;  but  with  this  differ- 
ence, that  this  time,  instead  of  left  hand  weaver  being  brought  to  the 
right  over  the  other  two  working  weavers,  it  is  bronght  forward  under 
the  other  two  weavers.    This  is  equivalent  to  a  wale  done  left  handed. 
You  continue  this  for  two  inches,  alternating  right  and  left  hand  wales, 
reversing  each  time. 

8.  Two  rows  four  rod  wale  over  three,  under  one. 

9.  Weave  a  two-inch  panel  of  over  two,  under  one  weave. 

10.  Two  rows  four  rod  wale,  over  three,  under  one. 

11.  Repeat  No.  7. 

12.  Two  rows  four  rod  wale. 

1 3. Another  panel  of  Dutch  banding,  same  as  No.  4  step. 

14.  You  weave  as  many  rows  of  four  rod  wale  over  two,  under  two, 
as  will  be  required  to  bring  your  work  from  10  to  1 1  inches  high  from 
table. 

37 

358547 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 

15.  Make  a  roll  with  No.  3  reeds.  Make  this  roll  as  small  as  you 
can,  finishing  with  plain  roll  border,  that  is,  by  throwing  your  stakes 
in  over  two  stakes. 

POINTS. 

The  wales  and  upset  are  of  No.  4  reeds.  The  weaving,  including  the 
arrow-head,  is  done  with  No.  3  reeds. 

The  basket  is  8  inches  in  diameter  at  bottom  and  9  to  10  inches  at 
top,  inside  measurement,  and  12  inches  high. 

This  basket  is  so  strong  that  it  is  called  "The  Eternal  Basket." 


SMALL  BARREL  BASKET. 

Cut  ten  stakes  4^2  inches  long  No.  4  reed.  Pierce  and  open  a  center 
as  usual  and  weave  3^2  inches.  Cut  nineteen  stakes  14  inches  long 
and  insert  into  the  base  as  usual.  Moisten  and  bend  close  to  the  base 
and  put  on  one  row  of  upsetting  with  four  weavers.  Cut  off  the  left 
hand  weaver  and  work  five  rows  of  wale,  and  we  might  say  that  it  is 
not  necessary  to  reverse  your  wale  in  this  basket.  Care  should  be 
taken  to  slant  the  stakes  outward  to  give  the  shape  desired.  In  this 
basket  we  have  taken  two  strands  of  a  deep  shade  of  green  raffia 
and  worked  three  rows  of  paring,  then  three  rows  paring  with  white 
raffia  and  three  more  with  a  delicate  blue  raffia.  Now  introduce  three 
weavers  No.  3  reed  and  work  thirteen  rows  wale.  It  will  be  necessary 
to  flare  your  basket  a  little  each  time  you  encircle  it  until  you  reach  the 
seventh  row,  and  from  this  point  you  should  draw  it  in  slightly.  Work 
three  rows  of  paring  with  light  blue  raffia,  three  rows  paring  with  white 
raffia  and  three  rows  of  paring  with  deep  green  raffia  and  you  will 
have  a  very  pleasing  effect.  Insert  three  weavers  and  work  two  rows 
wale,  then  slip  in  two  more  weavers  and  you  will  find  you  have  five 
working  weavers,  and  we  will  work  what  is  called  the  cover  ridge 
by  taking  the  left  hand  weaver,  working  in  front  of  two  stakes  and 
back  of  three  stakes.  This  will  give  a  long  stroke  on  the  inside  on 
which  the  cover  is  to  rest.  Cut  off  two  left  hand  weavers,  leaving 
the  ends  on  the  inside.  Take  the  left  hand  weaver  of  the  remaining 
three  weavers  and  work  four  rows  of  wale,  leaving  the  ends  on  the 
inside.  Moisten  and  pinch  stakes  ready  for  border.  Take  any  given 
stake  and  turn  down  one  stake  back  of  one  stake.  Do  this  with  the 
whole  number  of  stakes.  Take  any  given  stake  and  turn  up  under  one 
loosely  all  the  way  around  the  basket.  Take  any  given  stake  and  bring 
over  one  stake,  leaving  end  on  outside,  and  clip,  but  not  too  close. 

COVER. 

Cut  ten  stakes  No.  4  reed  8  inches  long  and  puncture  as  usual. 
Open  the  center  with  very  fine  reed  (with  oo  if  you  can  procure  it). 
After  you  have  woven  about  i  inch,  work  two  rows  of  paring  with 
light  blue  raffia,  one  row  of  paring  with  white  raffia  and  two  rows 
with  deep  green.  Work  one  row  of  wale  with  very  fine  reed  and  leave 
ends  on  under  side.  Moisten  the  ends  of  stakes  and  pinch  as  usual. 
Take  any  given  stake  and  bring  it  over  one  stake  and  so  on  until  you 
have  turned  in  all  the  stakes.  The  ends  may  be  clipped,  but  not  too 
close.  The  clipped  end  should  just  come  in  front  of  the  preceding 
stake.  For  the  lift  take  a  piece  of  No.  3  reed  about  9  or  10  inches 

38 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


long.  Moisten  and  twist  slightly,  after  doubling  it  in  the  middle,  then 
take  the  loop  and  slip  around  the  middle  reed  from  the  under  side 
of  the  cover,  bringing  the  two  ends  on  top  of  the  cover.  Now  take 
a  piece  of  raffia,  double  it  and  weave  back  and  forth  until  you  have 
the  desired  height.  Bring  the  end  of  reed  and  raffia  through  the 
cover  around  the  opposite  middle  reed  and  fasten. 

ROLL  TOP  GRASS  SCRAP  BASKET. 

Make  a  round  bottom  7  inches  in  diameter,  same  as  that  of  model  6. 

1.  Cut  80  No.  4  stakes  22  inches  long  and  point  them. 

2.  Insert  40  of  the  stakes  into  the  bottom — usual  way. 

3.  Make  rolling  upset  (that  is,  without  pinching  and  turning  stakes 
up  sharply),  about  8  rows  of  4  strand  upset  with  No.  3  reeds. 

4.  Insert  other  40  stakes,  one  to  right  of  each  stake. 

5.  Twist  a  lot  of  the  grass.     That  used  in  model  is  a  fine  round 
rush,  from  2  to  3  feet  long,  which  grows  in  many  lakes  in  New  Eng- 
land.    The  twist  is  done  by  taking  about  8  strands  of  the  grass,  tie 
together  at  thick  end,  divide  in  two  parts  of  4  strands  each,  make  the 
end  fast  to  table  by  means  of  an  awl  or  nail,  twist  each  part  by  itself 
at  same  time  passing  left  hand  under  right,  making  both  parts  to 
twist  closely. 

6.  Weave  four  figures  in  following  way.    Mark  off  10  stakes ;  place 
end  of  twist  in  front  of  fifth  stake,  go  around  sixth  and  out  to  left,  I 
stroke  to  left,  round  fourth,  2  strokes  to  right,  round  seventh,  3  strokes 
to  right  around  third ;  continue  this  until  you  have  gone  around  tenth 
stake  on  the  right  and  around  first  stake  on  the  left.     Continue  to 
weave  right  and  left,  lessening  number  of  strokes  by  one  each  time 
until  you  reach  the  center.     Do  this  same  thing  with  the  other  three 
parts  of  ten. 

7.  Put  on  one  row  3  strand  No.  4  wale. 

8.  Fill  the  valleys  as  you  worked  No.  6  process. 

9.  One  row  of  wale. 

10.  Repeat  No.  6  process  with  opposite  sets  of  stakes, 
n.     One  row  of  wale. 

12.  No.  6  process  again  with  first  set  of  stakes. 

13.  Two  rows  of  wale. 

14.  Braid  about  6  yards  of  3  parts  braid  with  same  grass  or  other 
material. 

15.  Weave  3  rows  of  over  one  under  one.    Weave  with  the  braided 
grass,  alternating  with  a  weaver  of  No.  4  reed. 

1 6.  One  row  of  wale. 

17.  Three  more  rows  same  as  No.  15  process. 

18.  Three  rows  of  wale. 

19.  One  inch  of  plain  grass  weave. 

20.  Three  rows  of  wale. 

21.  One  inch  of  grass  weave. 

22.  Two  rows  of  wale. 

23.  Make  a  3-inch  roll,  with  over  2  under  i  weave. 

24.  Finish  the  roll  with  over  i  under  2  skirt  border. 
This  basket  should  be  shellaced. 

39 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


LILY  BASKET. 

Bottom. — Take  12  spokes  of  No.  5  reeds  13  inches  long.*1  Make  the 
bottom  in  usual  way  to  seven  inches  in  diameter.  Insert  27  stakes  of 
No.  5  reeds  22  inches  long,  but  do  not  cut  off  ends  of  bottom  spokes. 
Weave  I  or  2  rows  of  3  strand  upset,  and  weave  up  side  of  basket  to 
6  inches,  perfectly  straight  and  using  wide,  flat  reeds.  Now  return  to 
bottom,  weaving  it  out  to  between  n  and  12  inches.  Cut  off  ends  of 
bottom  spokes  and  insert  39  pairs  of  No.  3  reeds  22  inches  long.  Make 
a  round  upset  with  3  soft  No.  3  reeds.  The  round  upset  is  made  by 
bending  the  stakes  as  you  weave  the  upset  instead  of  pinching  and 
turning  them  up  sharply.  This  will  require  more  rows  than  when 
done  in  the  usual  way,  at  least  6  rows.  Your  object  now  is  to  weave 
up  to  the  top  of  inner  basket,  drawing  in  your  stakes  so  that  your 
outer  work  will  meet  the  inner  work  evenly.  The  concave  and  convex 
work  is  a  pretty  way  to  weave  the  outer  basket. 

Divide  your  stakes  in  five  parts,  8  stakes  in  each  of  4  parts  and  7 
stakes  for  the  fifth.  Use  No.  2  reeds  for  weaving.  Place  the  end  of 
your  weaver  between  fourth  and  fifth  stakes  of  first  part;  turn  around 
fifth  stake  inward;  bring  out  to  left  and  turn  around  fourth  stake 
going  in;  take  one  stroke  to  the  right  and  turn  back  to  left  around 
sixth  stake  and  take  2  strokes  to  third  stake;  3  strokes  to  right  and 
turn  around  seventh  stake,  4  strokes  to  right  and  around  second 
stake ;  5  strokes  to  right  and  around  eighth  stake ;  to  left  and  around 
first  stake ;  to  right  and  around  seventh  stake ;  to  left  and  around 
second  stake;  to  right  and  around  sixth  stake;  to  left  and  around 
third  stake ;  to  right  and  around  fifth  stake ;  to  left  to  fourth  stake. 
Do  the  same  thing  with  the  other  4  parts.  Put  a  3-strand  wale,  No. 
3  reeds,  one  row,  and  pound  down  closely.  The  result  will  be  five 
plain  convex  figures.  You  now  fill  up  the  five  hollow  parts  in  the 
way  you  wove  the  other  figures.  When  your  work  is  level,  weave  one 
row  of  wale.  Repeat  this  style  of  weave  until  5  inches  high.  You 
weave  to  top  of  inner  basket  with  a  2-weaver  slew.  When  you  have 
reached  the  top  of  the  inner  basket,  you  may  put  on  3  rows  of  wale, 
bringing  the  No.  3  stakes  beside  the  No.  5  ones,  making  the  former 
act  as  by-stakes  to  the  latter,  one  pair  on  each  side  of  main  No.  5 
stakes,  inserting  extra  No.  3  stakes  where  needed.  Make  a  i^-inch 
feather-pitch.  Take  soft  No.  4  weaver,  double  it.  Take  up  right 
hand  pair  by-stakes  of  first  set — middle  stake  of  center  set — and  left 
hand  pair  by-stakes  of  third  part,  pass  the  loop  of  weaver  around 
them  and  bind  stakes  by  twisting  your  two  weavers.  Repeat  this  till 
all  your  stakes  have  been  taken  in.  One  row  of  wale  on  top  of  pitch. 

The  pitch  should  flare  a  little. 

The  next  step  is  a  straight  V  compound  pitch  il/2  inches  high.  The 
loop  of  your  pitch  weaver  is  placed  around  one  of  the  No.  5  stakes 
and  twisted  so  as  to  bind  stake;  next  you  take  the  two  nearest  pairs 
of  by-stakes,  binding  them  together  with  pitch  weaver.  Repeat  to 
the  end.  Two  rows  of  wale  on  top  of  this  pitch.  Cut  out  the  right 
hand  side  pair  of  by-stakes,  and  you  are  now  ready  for  three-quarter 
roll.  Divide  your  stakes,  which  are  now  54  in  number,  into  5  equal 
parts  and  work  on  a  2  inch  convex.  One  row  of  wale.  Another  i- 
inch  convex  on  top  of  the  other.  Finish  the  rest  of  roll  with  over  2 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


under  I  weave.  The  roll  finishes  with  back  of  one  front  of  two  skirt 
border.  Your  basket  should  now  be  7  inches  diameter  at  base,  12 
inches  high  and  9  inches  wide  at  top,  inside  measurement. 

UNFINISHED  FITCH  WASTE  BASKET. 

Cut  10  stakes  9^2  inches  long,  No.  5  reed,  and  open  a  center  as 
usual.  The  base  of  this  basket  is  8  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  worked 
with  single  weaving.  You  can  finish  weaving  the  base  with  a  No.  3 
weaver.  Cut  33  stakes.  No.  6  reed,  19  inches  long,  and  insert  one 


Fig.  27.     Unfinished  Fitch  Waste  Basket. 

stake  to  each  base  stake,  then  insert  the  balance  to  about  equalize  the 
spaces  around  your  basket.  Pinch  and  bend  as  usual  and  work  2  rows 
of  upsetting  with  4  weavers.  Cut  off  the  extreme  left  hand  weaver 
and  work  3  rows  of  upset  with  No.  4  weavers.  Now  cut  66  stakes 
17  inches  long,  No.  5  reed,  and  slip  one  stake  on  each  side  of  the 
stakes  already  in  the  basket.  You  will  now  find  the  spaces  are  very 
close.  Take  3  No.  2  weavers  and  weave  as  with  one  weaver,  going 
over  one  stake  and  back  of  one  stake  as  in  single  weaving. 
Using  two  or  more  weavers  is  called  slewing.  Care  should  be 
taken  that  the  weavers  all  lie  perfectly  parallel  and  work  3^2  inches. 

42 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Work  2  rows  of  3  rod  wale  and  reverse  each  time  around  the  basket. 
The  next  step  in  this  basket  is  fitch  work,  and  we  refer  you  to  model 
No.  9  for  fitching.  After  each  fitch,  always  work  I  row  of  3  rod  wale. 
After  working  the  last  fitch  at  the  top  of  basket,  work  4  rows  of  3 
rod  wale  and  finish  with  a  braid  border  as  described  in  model  9  or 
any  other  border  may  be  used. 


RUSH  FLOWER  POT. 

Cut  21  pieces  No.  5  reed  15  inches  long.  Dip  the  ends  of  the  stakes 
in  glue  and  insert  the  stakes  into  the  holes  in  the  base.  Take  3  No. 
3  weavers,  inserting  one  in  each  of  3  consecutive  spaces,  and  work 


Fig.  28.     Rush  Flower  Basket. 


Fig.  29.     Fern  Basket. 


for  one  row  in  front  of  three  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake.  This 
gives  a  long  stroke  and  its  purpose  is  to  cover  the  wood.  Remember 
to  reverse  each  time  in  your  work.  Work  three  more  rows  of  wale 
going  in  front  of  2  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  with  your  left 
hand  weaver.  After  the  wale  is  finished  and  the  ends  left  on  the 
inside  of  the  basket  cut  21  more  stakes  15  inches  long  and  insert  one 
stake  at  the  right  hand  side  of  each  of  the  other  stakes,  which  is  called 
a  bi-stake  and  is  more  or  less  done  when  the  filling  is  to  be  of  large 
material  which  gives  strength.  Moisten  the  rush  in  lukewarm  water 
and  work  16  rows  or  until  you  have  woven  6  inches  of  rush ;  the  size 
of  the  material  often  changes  the  amount  to  be  used.  Work  4  rows 
of  wale  with  3  Xo.  3  weavers,  reversing  each  time.  Be  sure  that 

43 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


the  weaving  is  perfectly  even  before  turning  the  border.     Pinch  the 
stakes  sidewise. 

For  the  border  take  any  given  stake  and  number  it  No.  I.  Take 
No.  i  stake  and  bring  it  back  of  No.  2  stake,  laying  it  down  in  the 
next  space.  Take  No.  2  stake  and  bring  down  back  of  No.  3  stake  in 
the  next  space,  and  so  on  until  all  the  stakes  have  been  laid  down. 
Take  any  one  of  the  ends  left  on  the  outside  of  the  basket  and  bring 
it  to  the  right  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  slip  through  the  space  on  the 
inside  of  the  basket.  Take  No.  2  spoke,  bring  to  the  right  two 
spaces  and  slip  through  as  before.  Repeat  this  process  until  all  the 
spokes  have  been  used,  and  if  they  have  been  slipped  through  the 
proper  spaces,  there  will  be  an  end  of  a  spoke  in  every  space.  This 
is  a  very  pretty,  simple,  yet  strong  border.  Clip  the  ends  from  the  in- 
side, but  not  too  short. 

For  finishing  the  wood,  a  piece  of  flat  reed  can  be  tacked  on  with 
very  small  tacks.  This  presents  a  neat  appearance. 


FERN  BASKET. 


Cut  25  stakes  7  inches  long,  No.  5  reed.  Dip  in  glue  and  insert  in 
base.  Take  3  No.  3  weavers  and  work  one  row  of  wale,  working  in 
front  of  3  stakes  and  back  of  I  stake  for  one  row  only,  reversing  the 
wale  at  the  finish.  This  is  done  to  cover  the  wood  as  it  gives  a  long 
stroke.  Work  4  rows  of  ordinary  wale,  and  when  this  is  done, 
leave  ends  of  weavers  on  the  inside  of  basket.  Cut  25  more  stakes 
7  inches  long  and  slip  one  stake  through  the  wale  just  midway 
between  the  other  stakes.  Take  a  piece  of  green  straw  braid  and 
work  one  row  of  single  weaving  making  the  join  by  working  one  or 
two  strokes  beyond  the  starting  point.  You  should  moisten  the  straw 
slightly  to  keep  it  from  breaking".  Work  in  one  row  of  red  straw 
braid  finishing  the  same  way.  Then  work  one  row  of  green  straw 
braid.  Use  a  four-rod  wale,  which  is  just  the  same  as  the  three- rod 
wale,  except  that  it  is  done  by  taking  four  weavers  No.  3  reed  and 
inserting  one  weaver  in  each  of  four  consecutive  spaces.  Take  the 
left  hand  weaver  and  work  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  two  stakes 
and  you  will  notice  this  makes  a  very  pretty,  strong  stitch.  Work  three 
rows  of  four-rod  wale  and  reverse  in  the  usual  manner.  Be  sure  that 
your  work  is  even.  If  you  find  it  is  not  even,  rap  the  highest  points 
slightly  with  an  awl  or  pliers  to  even  it  up.  Pinch  your  stake  side- 
wise.  For  the  border  take  any  given  stake  and  number  it  No.  I. 
Take  No.  I  stake  and  bring  it  back  of  two  stakes,  laying  it  down  in 
the  space  where  it  comes  out.  Take  No.  2  spoke,  bring  back  of 
two  spokes,  and  so  on  until  all  the  stakes  have  been  used.  Take 
any  given  stake,  bring  it  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  slip  through  the 
space  on  the  inside  of  the  basket.  Take  No.  2  stake  and  bring  it  to  the 
right  in  front  of  two  stakes  and  slip  through  the  next  space  and  leave 
end  on  the  inside  of  the  basket.  Repeat  this  until  all  the  stakes  have 
been  used,  and,  if  your  work  is  evenly  done,  you  will  be  surprised  to  see 

44 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


what  a  pretty  border  you  have  made.  Take  two  pieces  of  flat  reed  and 
tack  around  the  base  neatly,  and  your  basket  is  completed  after  the 
ends  have  been  trimmed  from  the  inside. 

SMALL  SQUARE  HAMPER. 

1.  Prepare  a  square  board  ]/±  inch  thick  and  jl/2  inches  wide.    Get 
4  ^4 -inch  dowels  n  inches  long. 

2.  Bore  in  the  board,  on  top,  near  the  edge,  1 1  holes  on  3  sides  and 
12  on  the  4th  for  a  No.  4  stake.    Bore  a  ^4-inch  hole  at  each  corner  for 
the  dowels. 

3.  Cut  45  No.  4  stakes  20  inches  long. 

4.  Glue  the  stakes  and  dowels  in  holes. 

5.  Spread  out  the  tops  of  your  dowels  about  il/2  inches  and  hold 
them  there  by  means  of  thin  slats  nailed  across  top. 

6.  Put  on  3  rows  of  3-rod  upset;  over  2,  under  i,  with  No.  3  reeds. 

7.  2l/2  inches  of  over  i  under  i  weaving  with  No.  2  reeds. 

8.  One  row  3-rod  wale  No.  3  reed. 

9.  2l/2  inches  3-strand  slew  No.  2  reed. 

10.  One  row  3-rod  wale. 

11.  2l/2  inches  over  2  under  i  weaving  No.  2  reed. 

12.  Two  rows  3-rod  wale,  called  handle  wale. 

13.  At  this  point  you  put  on  the  handles.    See  steps  No.  29  and  30 
in  model  No.  8.    The  handle-bows  are  pinched  so  as  to  make  them  stand 
off  from  side  of  basket. 

14.  Work  plain  weaving  to  within  ^4  inch  of  top  of  your  dowels. 

15.  Put  on  as  many  rows  of  wale  as  required  to  bring  your  work 
flush  with  top  of  dowels. 

1 6.  Bore  a  hole  in  the  center  of  top  of  each  dowel  and  insert  a  stake 
in  each  one. 

17.  Wet  and  pinch  your  stakes. 

1 8.  Border  with  square  double  basket  border.     Lay  4  stakes  down 
in  succession  behind  2 ;  bring  No.  i  stake  forward  in  front  of  3  and 
back  of  i ;  bring  down  No.  5  stake  back  of  2  in  same  space  and  beside 
No.  i ;  No.  2  stake  front  of  3,  back  of  i ;  No.  6  stake  comes  down  in 
same  space  and  beside  No.  2,  and  so  on  to  the  end.    The  corners  are 
made  thus :    When  the  first  space  on  a  new  side  of  basket  is  reached, 
the  2  standing  stakes  to  left  of  corner  stake  come  down  together  in 
first  space  of  new  side  which  now  contains  3  stakes,  2  standing  stakes 
to  left  of  corner  and  4th  laying  down  stake  left  of  corner.   Now  bring  up 
3rd  laying  down  stake  from  corner  in  front  of  corner  stake  and  2nd 
laying  down  stake  beside  and  front  of  3rd  one.     You  have  now  five 
stakes  facing  same  way,  2  in  front  and  3  behind  comer  stake.     In  the 
next  stroke  you  must  use  the  dead  stake  in  ist  space  left  of  corner;  the 
so-called  dead  stake  is  a  stake  that,  in  this  border,  has  made  2  strokes 
and  is  to  be  cut  off;  this  dead  stake  goes  in  ist  space  of  new  side  and 
out  in  2nd  space.     No  standing  stake  is  brought  down  with  this  one. 
It  is  called  the  solitary  stake.    The  next  stroke  is  with  the  last  live  stake 
on  the  old  side  of  basket ;  it  goes  in  front  of  corner  and  2nd  stakes  on 
new  side  in  second  space,  behind  3rd  stake  and  out  in  3rd  space.    The 
corner  stake  comes  down  in  same  space.     Now  you  take  the  left  hand 
stake  of  the  2  which  are  in  front  of  corner  stake  out  of  3  and  back  of  i 

45 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 

Next  standing  stake  down  back  of  2.  You  next  take  extreme  right  of 
3  stakes  in  ist  space;  next  standing  stake  — .  Next  take  solitary  stake; 
if  too  short,  splice  by  inserting  new  stake  in  front  of  it.  In  finishing 
this  style  of  border  you  must  carefully  study  the  position  of  the  stakes 
in  the  finished  part  of  the  border,  the  body  of  the  border.  By  so  doing 
vou  should  not  find  much  trouble. 

19.  You  are  now  ready  for  the  cover.    Take  2  pieces  of  No.  7  reed 
and  12  pieces  No.  6  reed  about  12  inches  long.     Measure  across  the 
top  of  basket  at  the  corner.     It  should  be  about  9^  inches.     If  such 
is  the  case,  you  mark  off  a  space  on  a  piece  of  board  9^2  inches  or  the 
exact  width  of  the  top  of  basket.    Place  the  No.  7  sticks  on  the  mark 
and  tack  them  to  board.     Next  tack  your  No.  6  sticks  in  pairs  at 
regular  intervals  between  the  No.  7  sticks. 

20.  You  now  weave  up  the  cover  over  i,  under  i,  with  No.  2  or 
No.   3    reed,   beginning  at   left,   around   right   outside   stick,   to   left 
around  outside  stick  and  so  on.    You  must  keep  outside  stick  covered 
with  weaver  by  going  around  it  twice  with  weaver  as  often  as  necessary. 
You  do  this  until  your  cover  is  square. 

21.  Finish  cover  by  splitting  a  No.  7  or  No.  8  reed  in  two.    This 
piece  should  be  about  3  inches  longer  than  the  width  of  cover.     Point 
both  ends  of  each  piece.     Cut  off  the  cover  stocks  at  one  end  of  cover 
close  to  weaving,  excepting  the  outside  sticks  which  are  cut  off  last. 
Place  one  piece  of  beading — the  split  No.  8 — against  the  top  where 
sticks  have  been  cut  off  and  mark  beading  so  that  when  bent  to  be 
inserted  both  ends  will  be  of  about  even  lengths.     Pinch  the  beading 
before  bending  and  insert  the  points  of  beading  beside  each  outside  stick 
inside.    Treat  other  end  of  cover  in  same  way. 

22.  You  now  tie  down  the  beading.     Take  2  weavers  of  No.  3  or 
No.  4  reed  about  3  feet  long.     Push  one  weaver  through  the  cover 
beside  one  of  the  sticks  from  end  to  end  at  one-third  the  width  of  cover, 
leaving  equal  lengths  of  weaver  to  stick  out  for  tie.    The  other  weaver 
goes  through  one-third  the  other  way.  Twist  your  reed  to  avoid  break- 
ing, insert  the  end  of  weaver  through  weaving  about  4  or  5  rows  of 
weaving  from  edge.     Bring  your  weaver  over  beading,  down  to  point 
of  insertion,  through  and  over  beading  again  until  the  weaver  has 
bound  beading  to  weaving  3  times.     Fasten  the  end  by  weaving  in  and 
out  a  couple  of  strokes.    This  will  give  you  2  ties  for  each  end. 

23.  You  now  fasten  cover  to  basket  by  means  of  hinges  made  in 
same  way  as  you  finish  cover.     Insert  your  tieing  weaver  down  into 
basket  beside  third  stake  on  one  side  and  tenth  stake  on  other  side  of 
that  side  of  basket  which  has  12  stakes.     This  will  be  back  of  basket. 

24.  The  front  fastening  is  done  by  twisting  a  short  piece  of  No.  4 
reed  into  a  sort  of  staple-shaped  loop  on  the  center  stake  on  front  side 
of  basket.    Another  loop  is  made  in  the  same  way  on  the  edge  of  cover 
at  the  center,  and  long  enough  to  come  down  over  the  staple  loop. 
Next  comes  the  pin  twist.     Take  a  piece  No.  4  reed  12  inches  long. 
Double,  place  center  around  a  nail  driven  in  the  table  and  twist  weaver 
to  avoid  breaking,  and  twist  both  together  into  a  rope  twist  about  2 
inches  long.     Fasten  the  ends  about  I   inch  to  right  of  staple  loop. 
This  is  the  pin  that  goes  through  the  staple  loop  over  the  cover  loop 
•when  this  has  come  down  through  staple  loop. 

47 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


OBLONG  LUNCH  BASKET. 

This  is  made  as  the  square  hamper  with  the  exception  of  the  follow- 
ing points : 

The  dimensions  are  4^2  inches  by  9  inches  for  the  bottom.  This  is 
made  like  the  cover  of  hamper  without  the  finish.  The  stakes  are  of 
No.  4  reeds  15  inches  long  for  the  ends  and  18  inches  for  the  sides. 
For  the  ends  you  point  the  stakes  and  insert  beside  the  bottom  sticks 
as  in  round  baskets. 

For  the  sides  you  skellem  the  stakes.  This  is  a  term  used  in  basket 
making.  It  means  to  skive,  or,  in  other  words,  to  cut  out  about  one- 
half  of  the  thickness  of  your  stake  at  the  end  that  goes  through  and 
around  the  edge  sticks  of  bottom. 

In  this  case  you  skellem  the  stakes  about  3  inches  from  the  end,  that 
is  about  3  inches  of  the  stakes  will  be  only  half  as  thick  as  the  rest. 
You  insert  the  skellemmed  end  of  the  stakes  through  the  bottom  from 
outside.  When  you  have  one  side  all  inserted,  you  begin  from  the  left ; 
bring  up  the  stake  into  position  with  right  hand  so  that  it  will  rest 
firmly  on  upper  edge  of  outside  stick  and  bring  down  thin  end  of  stake 
to  left  around  base  of  stake,  binding  it  firmly  on  front,  leaving  the 
end  to  rest  on  bottom.  Bring  up  second  stake  in  same  way,  binding 
in  its  course  all  you  can  of  the  thin  end  of  first  stake.  The  last  end 
is  fastened  by  weaving  into  bottom.  Four  rows  of  3-rod  upset.  Weave 
3  inches  over  I,  under  i.  Top  weaving  with  3  rows  of  wale.  Same 
border  as  square  hamper.  The  dowels  are  4^  inches  long.  They 
are  fastened  in  with  the  upset.  You  will  find  it  to  your  advantage  to 
cut  notches  into  dowels  so  that  the  upset  will  hold  them  better.  Flare 
your  basket  about  i  inch. 

Use  an  odd  number  of  cover  sticks  so  as  to  have  a  center  one  for 
handle,  which  is  made  like  hamper  handles.  It  is  made  on  the  cover, 
in  the  center.  The  upset  and  wales  with  No.  3  reeds.  The  weaving 
with  No.  2  reeds. 

KNIFE  BASKET. 

Dimensions :  8  x  1 1  inches  bottom,  3  inches  high,  inside.  Flare  £'4 
inches.  The  bottom  is  made  with  8  No.  7  sticks  n  inches  long. 
These  are  tacked  to  a  board  singly  and  i  inch  apart.  You  weave  with 
No.  2  large,  plain  weaving,  excepting  that  you  put  in  a  4-block  diamond 
in  the  sides  as  described  in  barrel  shaped  waste  basket. 

The  upset  and  wales  are  made  with  No.  3  reeds.  The  stakes  are  of 
No.  4  reeds  16  inches  long  and  37  in  number. 

The  side  stakes  are  skellemmed,  as  elsewhere  described  in  oblong 
lunch  basket.  The  border  is  the  double  basket  square  border.  When 
the  basket  is  bordered,  you  make  a  partition  in  same  way  as  you  made 
bottom.  The  width  should  be  same  as  depth  of  basket,  inside,  and  the 
length  same  as  length  of  basket 

The  partition  is  fastened  by  2  ties  in  bottom  and  i  tie  at  each  end 
of  basket.  A  handle  is  made  on  top  of  partition.  The  most  suitable 
handle  is  the  one  given  in  model  8.  It  should  be  about  3  inches  wide 
and  il/2  inches  high. 

48 


PRACTICAL    IJASKET    MAKING. 


FLOWER  BASKET. 
DESIGNED  BY  Miss  M.  L.  MC!NTYRE. 

Cut  eight  stakes  #4  Reed  6  inches  long.  Find  the  middle  of  four 
stakes  and  pierce  with  awl  and  slip  the  remaining  four  stakes  through 
the  four  punctured  reeds. 

Take  a  very  pliable  #i  Reed  and  encircle  the  four-quarters  once 
around  the  same  as  in  opening  any  ordinary  basket  base. 

Work  out  5  stars  in  the  bottom  of  the  basket,  as  follows :  Note 
you  have  four  quarters  of  four  stakes  each.  In  your  mind  divide 
each  quarter  into  halves  and  bring  the  back  weaver  to  the  front  by 
dividing  the  first  quarter  into  halves,  carrying  the  weaver  diagonally 
across  and  down  between  the  first  half  of  the  second  quarter. 

Bring  the  back-weaver  up  in  the  SAME  space  and  carry  this 
diagonally  across  and  down  between  the  next  half  of  the  third  quar- 
ter. When  each  of  the  four  quarters  have  been  divided,  cross  the 


Fig-  33-     Flower  Basket,  made  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Mclntyre. 

complete  center  of  base  diagonally  from  corner  to  corner,  and  you 
will  discover  the  5  stars  in  the  base  of  the  basket.  Drop  one  weaver 
and  proceed  by  weaving  over  two  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  with 
one  weaver.  Pay  especial  attention  to  this  , style  of  weaving  as  a 
mistake  may  be  made  very  easily ;  also  bear  in  mind  that  as  the  spaces 
increase,  the  size  of  the  weaver  should  also  be  increased  until  the 
diameter  of  the  base  is  5*4  inches. 

49 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


Cut  thirty-two  stakes  #3  Reed  15  inches  long,  very  pointed,  and 
moisten  well.  Cut  off  every  other  stake  around  the  base  very  close 
to  the  weaving  and  insert  a  new  stake  on  each  side  of  each  stake 
pushing  it  well  into  the  Basket  Base. 

Moisten  and  bend  the  stakes  sharply  upward.  Work  one  row  of 
upset  with  four  weavers  by  working  in  front  of  three  stakes  and  back 
of  one  stake  as  usual.  When  once  around  drop  one  weaver,  leaving 
end  inside  of  basket  and  with  one  weaver  continue  by  working  in 
front  of  two  stakes  and  back  of  one  stake  until  you  have  woven  i-)4 
inches  in  height. 

*  For  the  border  use  the  "single  plait"  which  is  worked  as  follows : 
Moisten  stakes  and  pinch  well.  Take  any  given  stake  numbering  it 
#i  and  bring  down  to  the  outside;  bring  down  #2  stake  in  the  same 
manner.  (Do  not  bend  these  down  too  closely.) 

Take  #i  stake,  bring  to  the  right,  passing  it  into  first  open  space 
to  inside  of  basket;  bring  down  #3  stake  in  same  space.  Bring  #2 
to  the  right  into  the  next  open  space  to  inside  of  basket;  bring  #i  out 
in  same  space.  Bring  down  left  standing  stake  parallel,  which  is  #4. 
Take  #3  bring  to  the  right  and  throw  into  next  open  space. 
Bring  #2  out  in  same  space;  bring  down  #5  parallel.  You  will  now 
find  you  have  pairs.  Bring  the  left-hand  pair  to  the  right  and  throw 
into  first  space  to  inside  of  basket;  bring  inside  back  stake  out  in 
same  space  and  back  standing  stake  down  parallel ;  bring  next  outside 
'left-hand  pair  of  stakes  to  the  right  and  through  first  open  space; 
bring  left-hand  pair  from  inside  of  basket  out  in  the  same  space  and 
bring  left-hand  standing  stake  down  parallel.  Repeat  this  process 
until  you  have  brought  down  the  last  standing  stake.  You  have  now 
encircled  the  basket  and  have  turned  down  the  last  standing  stake. 
Note  the  two  sets  of  three  reeds  on  the  outside  of  basket  and  one 
pair  of  two  reeds  inside.  Note  also  two  long  loops  at  the  right  which 
were  the  first  two  reeds  turned  down.  Take  the  two  left-hand  reeds 
of  the  left-hand  set  and  bring  through  the  first  long  loop  to  inside 
of  basket.  Find  the  second  long  loop  which  was  the  second  stake 
turned  down  and  slip  the  two  left-hand  reeds  of  the  (three)  left  on 
the  outside  of  the  basket  through  the  loop  to  inside  of  basket.  You 
now  have  left  three  pairs  of  reeds  on  inside  of  basket.  Bring  the  left- 
hand  pair  to  the  outside  by  laying  the  reeds  in  their  natural  course 
beside  the  one  diagonal  reed  which  is  alone. 

Take  the  right-hand  reed  of  this  pair  and  bring  upward  through 
the  single  scallop  loop.  By  doing  this  you  have  formed  the  double 
scallop  to  complete  the  outside  of  the  border.  Now  take  this  same 
reed  and  pass  it  to  the  right  one  stroke  in  its  natural  course  to  inside 
of  basket.  Finish  the  remaining  pairs  exactly  the  same.  You  will 
note  you  still  have  three  single  reeds  left  on  the  inside  of  basket. 
These  are  now  brought  to  the  right  one  stroke  and  down  through  to 
outside  of  basket. 

For  handle  of  basket  cut  two  pieces  #6  Reed  16  inches  long. 
Point  the  reeds  well  and  force  them  well  into  the  sides  of  the  basket 
after  finding  the  exact  balance. 

The  next  step  is  to  pierce  the  reeds  forming  the  bale  at  either  side 
of  the  basket  just  below  the  border.  Take  a  very  pliable  #i  weaver 

*  In  working  the  border  actually  used  in  the  Flower  Basket,  use  fUngle.  Peer!*  where  it 
refers  to  pairs.  See  Figure  33.  This  size  basket  does  not  require  as  wide  a  border  as  using 
pairs  would  produce,  yet  the  writer  thought  it  would  be  more  helpful  to  Basket  Makers  to 
describe  the  border  using  pairs  as  this  width  border  is  often  desired  on  larger  baskets  and 
trays.  Follow  the  directions  closely,  carrying  forward  only  Single  Reeds  where  pairs  are 
mentioned  in  the  above  directions. 

5° 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


and  soak  it  well.  Draw  the  weaver  through  the  puncture  in  the  han- 
dle from  the  inside  of  the  basket  to  the  outside,  then  upward  through 
the  border  and  around  one  of  the  bale-reeds  carrying  the  weaver 
across  to  the  opposite  bale-reed  and  around  it ;  then  back  to  the  op- 
posite bale-reed  taking  the  extra  turn  around  the  bale-reed  and  so 
on  back  and  forth  until  the  entire  space  has  been  filled  with  the  weaving. 

When  the  arch  of  the  bale  has  been  reached  the  two  bale-reeds  are 
bound  together.  A  set  of  blocks  may  be  produced  by  laying  two  extra 
pieces  of  reed  on  top  of  the  bale-reeds  and  alternating  with  the  reg- 
ular binding  weaver.  When  «fhe  opposite  side  of  the  arch  has  been 
reached  repeat  the  same  method  of  weaving  and  fasten  the  weaver  by 
passing  down  through  the  border  and  carrying  it  through  the  punc- 
tured bale  and  through  the  weaving  for  two  or  three  strokes. 

This  basket  may  be  stained  a  beautiful  Red-Brown  by  combining 
brown  and  mahogany  wood-stains,  or  it  may  be  left  in  its  natural 
color,  but  should  be  given  a  coat  of  shellac. 

SERVING  TRAY. 
DESIGNED  BY  Miss  M.  L.  MC!NTYRE. 

Below  is  given  a  cut  of  a  Serving  Tray.  This  tray  is  12  inches 
in  diameter  and  is  so  made  that  the  base  decoration  is  interchange- 
able. Cut  forty-three  stakes  #4  Reed  13  inches  long.  The  stakes 
should  be  well  moistened  and  one  end  dipped  into  a  bit  of  good  glue 


Serving  Tray.     Miss  Mary  L.  Mclntyre,  Boston,  Mass. 

and  forced  well  into  the  holes  of  the  tray  frame.  Next  select  four 
#3  weavers,  moisten  well  and  place  the  four  weavers  in  each  of  four 
consecutive  spaces  and  work  as  follows :  Take  the  extreme  left-hand 
weaver,  bring  to  the  right  in  front  of  two  stakes  carrying  the  weaver 
through  first  open  space  to  inside  of  tray,  then  back  of  two  stakes 
and  to  outside  of  tray.  Follow  same  method  of  weaving  consecutively 
with  each  weaver  until  one  inch  has  been  woven.  Also  make  sure 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


that  there  is  the  same  number  rows  of  weaving  all  the  way  around 
the  tray  in  order  that  the  weaving  may  be  uniform  in  height.  The 
tray  is  bordered  by  using  the  flat-plait  border  described  in  model  called 
Flower  Basket  which  should  be  followed  very  closely.  Should  you 
desire  a  little  wider  border,  you  may  bring  the  three  stakes  through 
from  the  outside  instead  of  pairs  as  described  in  the  Flower  Basket. 

The  tray  shown  herewith  is  stained  a  reddish  brown  by  mixing  a 
mahogany  and  brown  wood-stain  together  until  the  desired  color  is 
obtained.  Let  the  tray  stand  for  a  few  hours  then  apply  a  wax  paste 
with  a  cloth  and  polish  by  rubbing  briskly  with  a  dry  cloth  or  brush. 

The  brass  handles  may  then  be  added,  also  the  little  rubber  nails, 
which  are  placed  underneath  to  prevent  the  tray  from  scratching  any 
polished  surface  on  which  it  may  be  used.  Fancy  cretonnes,  embroid- 
eries or  tapestries  may  be  used  for  base  decoration.  Very  handsome 
trays  may  also  be  made  by  using  plain  wooden  tray-bases,  but  the  same 
directions  fof  the  basket  work  should  be  followed.  The  finish  may  be 
left  entirely  to  the  taste  of  the  maker. 

RAFFIA  SUGGESTIONS. 

In  the  hands  of  a  thoughtful  worker  raffia  is  a  very  flexible  mate- 
riel, capable  of  being  used  in  many  different  ways.  In  the  accom- 
panying illustrations  are  some  practical  suggestions  of  useful  and 
ornamental  articles. 


Embroidery  Work 


Crochet  Work. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Embroidery  Work. 


Apache  Basket 


Palatingwa  Basket 


53 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


SCRAP  BASKET  OF  RATTAN,  WITH  BAND  OF  BRAIDED 
RAFFIA  AND  COLORED  RATTAN 

Made  by  Miss  Belle  Robinson,  Teacher  of  Basketry  in  the  Indian- 
apolis Young  Women's  Christian  Association. 

Dimensions. — 1 1  inches  high  ;  6l/2  inches  across  the  bottom ;  7  inches 
across  the  mouth ;  9^2  inches  high  to  the  turn  where  it  is  34  inches  in 
circumference. 


(Scrap   Basket  by   Miss  Belle  Robinson,  Indianapolis,    Ind.) 


Materials. — About  5  rattans — No.  5;  22  weavers— No.  3  (white); 
3  weavers — No.  3  (dull  purple)  ;  3  weavers — No.  3  (yellow  brown)  ; 
(for  coloring  which  directions  are  given  elsewhere)  :  10  yards  braided 
raffia  (natural  color),  5~i6-inch  wide;  eight  46-inch  spokes — No«5; 
one  24-inch  spoke — No.  5  ;  sixteen  22-inch  spokes — No.  5. 


54 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


A  split  center  is  made  of  the  eight  46-inch,  the  one  24-inch  spokes 
and  twilled  weave  with  No.  3  rattan.  When  four  inches  in  diameter, 
insert  the  sixteen  remaining  spokes.  Weave  (twilled)  until  6^2  inches 
in  diameter,  then  soak  thoroughly  and  turn  the  spokes  rather  sharply 
with  three  rows  of  triple  twist.  The  spokes  are  flared  very  slightly, 
and  when  once  secured  at  the  proper  angle,  need  not  be  soaked  again 
until  9l/2  inches  have  been  woven. 

This  consists  of  two  rows  of  paired  weaving,  plain  weave  until  it  is 


Woven  Raffia  Pillow, 
Work  from  Hyannis  Normal  School,  Hyannis,  Mass. 


1%  inches  high.  Then  three  ribbons  of  quadruple  weave  and  six  rows 
plain  weave — all  so  far  of  natural  rattan ;  six  rows  plain  weave — 
yellow  brown  rattan ;  five  rows  plain  weave — dull  purple  rattan ;  nine 
rows  plain  weave — braided  raffia ;  five  rows  plain  weave — dull  purple 
rattan ;  eight  rows  plain  weave — yellow  brown  rattan ;  four  rows  plain 
weave — natural  rattan;  three  ribbons  of  quadruple  weave;  two  rows  of 

55 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


paired  weaving  when  it  should  measure  g}/2  inches  high  and  34  inches 
in  circumference. 

Soak  the  spokes  thoroughly,  if  the  basket  has  been  kept  a  good  shape 
so  far,  it  may  be  turned  upside  down  in  a  large  bucket  of  hot  water 
and  soaked  only  to  the  last  weaving. 


MERCED  NOLA8QUEZ,  A  PALATINGWA  BASKET  WEAVER,  SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA. 

Crush  the  spokes  over  as  nearly  flat  as  possible  and  weave  five  rounds 
more  of  paired  weaving,  making  seven  in  all.  Eight  rounds  of  plain 
weave,  keeping  the  spokes  still  flat,  when  it  should  measure  eight  inches 
across. 

Border. — First  row — each  spoke  back  of  next  spoke  to  the  right,  and 
out ;  second  row — under  two  spokes  to  the  right ;  third  row — over 
two  spokes  and  inside. 

Dyes. — These  are  described  in  the  chapter  on  dyes. 

56 


PRACTICAL    15ASKET    MAKING 


RAFFIA    AND    REED    BASKET    MAKING. 


GENERAL  DIRECTIONS. 

There  are  many  and  various  stitches  that  can  be  used  in  coiled 
weaves  of  basketry.  A  few  general  directions  are  necessary  in  all  these. 

Needles. — An  assortment  is  useful  if  a  variety  of  baskets  are  to  be 
made.  Buy  a  paper  each  of  Nos.  18,  20  and  21,  blunt  and  sharp.  You 
will  soon  find  by  experience  which  you  prefer. 

Preparing  the  Raffia. — Soak  in  boiling  water  for  an  hour  or  more 
without  untying.  Rinse  thoroughly.  Hang  up  and  allow  to  dry  slowly. 

Preparing  the  Reed. — Coil  to  suitable  size,  tie  in  two  or  three  places, 
leaving  enough  out  to  work  with ;  soak  this  end  in  hot  water  for  an 
hour  or  more  until  soft  and  pliable,  they  dry  with  a  cloth. 


Hopi  Sacred  Meal  Plaque,  made  of  Yucca  Splints  and  Grass  Inner  CoiL 


Threading  Needles. — There  is  a  right  and  a  wrong  end  of  the  raffia. 
The  right  end,  which  should  be  threaded  through  the  needle,  is  darker 
and  harder  than  the  other.  This  is  the  end  cut  from  the  parent  stem 
Just  before  working  if  raffia  is  soaked  and  wiped,  or  wrapped  in  a 
damp  cloth,  it  is  easier  to  handle. 

Beginning  Actual  Work. — Sharpen  the  point  of  the  reed,  tapering 
about  six  inches,  just  as  you  sharpen  a  lead  pencil.  Now  bend  the 
reed  to  form  a  coil,  thus  giving  it  shape  before  you  use  the  raffia. 
Hold  the  reed  firmly  in  the  left  hand  near  the  pointed  end.  and  the 

57 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


piece  of  raffia,  lengthwise  of  the  reed,  under  the  thumb.  Beginning 
about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  from  the  pointed  end  of  the  reed,  evenly 
wind  one  strand  of  raffia  to  the  point.  The  point  should  then  be  bent 
back,  so  as  to  form  the  smallest  possible  circle,  and  the  pointed  end 
fastened  in  this  position  by  taking  a  stitch  firmly  around  the  outer 
reed.  Holding  the  coil  in  the  left  hand,  wind  the  raffia  once  around 
the  reed,  bringing  it  inward  toward  the  body,  passing  the  needle 
through  the  center  of  the  coil,  thus  making  one  long  stitch.  Be  sure 
that  none  of  the  reed  shows  through  the  raffia  stitches.  Now  as  the 
reed  is  coiled  to  make  the  basket  larger  one  can  make  the  Hopi  stitch, 
the  Figure  8  stitch,  the  Lazy  stitch  or  others  that  will  be  described 
later. 

The  Hopi  Stitch. — This  is  shown  in  Fig.  33,  just  as  the  Indians 
use  it.  Here,  however,  a  number  of  wisps  of  grass  or  broom  corn 
are  used  instead  of  the  reed  to  form  the  inner  coil.  This  stitch  can 
be  made  only  when  soft  material  is  thus  used,  for,  as  will  be  seen,  the 
needle  must  pass  through  the  material  of  the  coil  below  when  sewing 
the  coil  above  to  it. 

The  Figure  8  Stitch. — This  is  sometimes  called  the  Navaho  stitch. 
The  real  Navaho  stitch  is  exactly  the  same  as  the  Havasupai  stitch. 


Fig.  34.     Method  of  Making  Figure  8  Stitch. 

The  Fig.  8  stitch  is  a  white  woman's  invention.  No  Indian  was  ever 
known  to  use  it.  Fig.  34  shows  how  it  is  made.  The  thread  passes  over 
the  outer  backward  coil,  then  through  between  the  outer  and  under, 
then  over  and  under  coil  forward,  down  and  back  between  the  two, 
making  the  figure  8.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  each  coil  is  covered 
twice  with  the  raffia.  This  must  distinctly  be  remembered  when  figur- 
ing out  a  design  where  a  different  color  is  to  be  used.  The  colored 
stitch  will  show  not  only  on  the  coil  upon  which  one  is  then  working. 
but  upon  the  coil  beneath.  At  first  this  is  a  little  confusing,  but  prac- 
tice soon  makes  perfect  and  the  difficulty  disappears. 

The  Lazy  Stitch. — Wrap  raffia  once  around  the  outer  coil,  then  once 
around  outer  and  under,  and  continue  this  alternate  short  and  long 
stitch  throughout,  as  seen  in  Fig.  35.  Many  variations  of  the  Lazy, 
stitch  may  be  made,  as,  for  instance,  taking  two  short  and  two  long, 
three  short  and  one  long,  etc. 

To  Splice  Reed. — When  necessary  to  splice  the  reed,  wet  and  shave 


Fig.  36.     Splicing  Weavers. 

the  end  of  both  old  and  new  piece,  or  cut  out  from  both  so  that  they 
will  fit  together,  as  shown  in  Fig.  36.     Bind  tightly  with  small  piece 

58 


PRACTICAL   BASKET   MAKING. 


of  raffia  or  thread  and  if  necessary  sew  through  several  times  in  order 
to  insure  stability. 

To  Splice. — When  your  needle  needs  replenishing  with  raffia,  wind 
the  new  thread  two  or  three  times  very  firmly  over  the  old  thread,  a 
little  ahead  of  the  stitch  you  are  making,  so  that  as  you  continue  to 
sew  the  stitches  will  cover  the  point. 

Introducing  Design. — At  first  it  is  best  to  work  with  but  one  color. 
When  design  is  introduced,  however,  colored  raffia  must  be  used. 
Space,  rather  than  number  of  stitches,  controls  design.  It  is  not  so 
much  the  number  of  stitches  that  one  must  consider,  as  the  amount  ol 
space  a  certain  part  of  the  design  occupies.  Fill  up  that  space  with 
smooth,  even  stitches  regardless  of  how  many  there  are.  Some  weavers 
cut  out  from  pieces  of  paper  the  designs  they  wish  to  incorporate,  and 
when  they  are  ready  to  introduce  the  design  they  place  these  "dum- 
mies" in  the  space  to  be  filled  and  then  weave  accordingly. 

Introducing  the  Colored  Stitches. — This  is  done  exactly  as  for  splic- 
ing a  new  needleful  of  raffia.  When  white  raffia  is  to  be  again  intro- 
duced, it  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  cut  off  the  colored,  especially  if 
the  design  continues  a  few  stitches  or  even  inches  further  on.  Leave 
the  colored  strand  on  the  top  of  the  reed  and  sew  over  it,  thus  hiding 
it  until  it  is  again  needed. 

In  this  connection  let  me  again  remind  you  that  in  the  Figure  8 
stitch  your  colored  thread  covers  two  coils,  for  the  upper  and  lower 
part  of  the  8.  Figure  accordingly  for  your  design. 

The  Shape  of  the  Basket. — This,  of  course,  has  been  thoroughly  de- 
cided upon  beforehand.  If  straight-edged — that  is,  perfectly  upright — 
baskets  are  required,  the  coils  are  placed  absolutely  one  above  another. 
If  the  basket  is  to  flare  outwardly  as  it  grows  larger,  let  the  upper  coil 
be  just  a  little  outside  of  directly  even,  and  move  according  to  the 
rapidity  with  which  you  wish  the  basket  to  expand.  To  make  a  neck 
to  a  basket  the  reverse  process  is  required,  viz.,  the  placing  of  the  upper 
coil  a  little  inside  of  the  coil  below. 

Putting  on  the  Border. — Point  the  reed  just  as  at  the  beginning. 
Then  cover  the  last  row  with  a  simple  stitch  over  and  over,  sewing 
into  the  upper  part  of  the  coil  beneath. 

To  Begin  an  Oval  Basket. — Prepare  reed  and  raffia  as  in  any  other 
basket.  Decide  on  length  of  bottom.  Bend  reed  so  as  to*  give  desired 
length.  Bend  slowly  or  it  may  break.  If  it  split  the  split  can  be  cov- 
ered by  stitches  later  on. 

Now  hold  reed  in  left  hand,  short  piece  downwards,  as  in  Fig  34. 
Wrap  raffia  twice  around  upper  reed,  leaving  two  inches  or  so  loose 
as  shown  in  the  cut  to  be  fastened  by  being  stitched  over.  Wrap 
enough  raffia  around  the  bent  end  to  make  it  smooth  and  even.  Now 
begin  the  figure  8  stitch,  drawing  both  ends  together  closely  as  the 
stitching  proceeds. 

5Q 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


BASKET,  BY  FRED  S.  BOUGHTON,  PITTSFORD,  X.  Y. 

This  basket  is  made  of  the  Figure  8  stitch. 

Materials  required. — Red  raffia,  i%  skeins;  natural  raffia,  2  skeins; 
gray  raffia,  nearly  I  skein ;  No.  2  rattan,  5  cents'  worth. 

The  star  in  the  bottom  of  the  basket  is  of  a  blue  gray  color,  the  rest 


Fig.  37.     Basket  Made  by  Fred  S.  Boughton,  Pittsford,  N.  Y. 

of  the  bottom  being  of  the  red  of  the  winter  berry.    The  ground  work 
of  the  sides  is  of  natural  colored  raffia  with  figures  of  the  red. 

Sizes. — The  bottom  is  seven  and  one-half  inches  across  (7^2)  and 
the  top  eleven  and  one-half  inches  (n>£).  The  basket  is  three  inches 
high.  \ 

The  center  of  the  bottom  up  to  where  the  red  begins  is  ten  coils. 
From  that  point  to  the  ends  of  the  points  is  thirteen  coils. 

The  color  between  the  points  of  the  star  begins  with  one  stitch  of 
red  up  to  about  thirty-eight  stitches  between  the  extreme  points. 

60 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


There  are  eighteen  stitches  of  gray  between  the  first  stitches  of  red, 
decreasing  gradually  to  one  stitch.  In  putting  in  the  figures  in  the  sides 
the  branching  figure  begins  first,  the  first  part  a  stem  beginning  with 
two  stitches  of  red  and  continuing  up  five  coils,  when  the  branching 
begins. 

The  first  stitches  of  the  large  points  are  put  in  on  the  next  coil  at 
equal  distances  between  the  first  color  and  gradually  increases  from  one 
stitch  up  to  thirty.  The  stem  of  the  branching  figure  is  two  stitches 
wide  and  extends  up  to  the  top  of  the  figure,  but  does  not  show  except 
where  the  squares  of  white  are  put  in  on  each  side  of  it.  The  first 


The  Celebrated  Rattlesnake  Basket. 

branch  is  one  inch  across,  two  coils  broad  and  at  equal  distances  on 
each  side  of  the  stem.  Above  this  branch  are  two  squares  of  white,  two 
coils  up  and  six  stitches  wide.  The  next  branches  begin  at  the  upper 
points  of  the  first  branch  on  each  side,  and  are  three  qtfarters  of  an 
inch  across,  two  coils  up,  meeting  and  with  the  next  branch  enclosing 
the  squares  of  white  in  the  centre.  The  next  branch  is  an  inch  broad 
(including  stem)  and  two  coils  up,  with  two  squares  of  white  above 
that  the  size  of  the  lower  ones.  The  next  branches  are  two  inches 
across  two  coils  up,  meeting  the  squares  of  white. 

Between  the  last  squares  of  white  and  the  border  is  a  coil  of  red  one 
inch  wide,  meeting  a  coil  of  white  extending  to  the  red  point.  The 
whole  is  finished  with  a  border  two  coils  up  of  red. 

6t 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


THE  REINDEER  BASKET. 
(Made  by  Mrs.  E.  A.  Hayes,  33  Alton  Place,  Brookline,  Mass.) 

Though  the  photographer  has  made  it  appear  like  a  plaque,  it  is 
really  a  work  basket  9  inches  high,  35  inches  around  the  top,  17  inches 
around  the  bottom. 

The  stitch  used  is  the  figure  8,  made  over  No.  4  reeds. 

Materials  used. — One  Ib.  natural  raffia,  %  Ib.  dark  brown,  %  Ib. 
black. 


Fig.  38.    The  Reindeer  Basket,  made  by  Mrs.  E.  A.  Hayes,  Brookline,  Mass. 


62 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


LAZY  STITCH. 
With  illustrative  basket  made  by  Mrs.  J.  H.  White. 

This  is  a  popular  stitch  and  received  its  name  from  Mr.  E.  E. 
McLeod,  of  Bakersfield,  Cal.,  in  describing  one  of  the  baskets  of  his 
fine  collection  of  Kern  County  weaves. 

It  is  very  doubtful  whether  this  name  for  this  stitch  was  ever  heard 
by  an  Indian.  The  Kern  County  and  other  Indian  weavers  (Monos, 


Fig-  39     Waste  Basket,  made  by  Mrs.  J.  H.  WTiite. 

Paiutis  and  Yokuts)  say  it  is  used  because  of  its  beauty.  When  a 
basket  is  not  required  to  hold  liquids  it  is  quite  common,  especially 
when  a  woman  needs  it  speedily,  to  make  it  this  way. 

Starting  the  Basket. — Begin  exactly  as  described  in  General  Direc- 

63 


PRACTICAL    1JASKKT    MAKINC. 


tions.  As  soon  as  the  start  of  the  tiny  coil  for  the  bottom  is  made  we 
are  ready  for  the  lazy  stitch.  This  is  simply  a  long  and  a  short  stitch. 
The  long  stitch  goes  over  two  coils,  the  short  over  but  one.  It  is  a 
rapid  method  of  weaving.  It  is  utterly  immaterial  whether  the  stitches 
are  taken  tozvards  you  or  from  you.  Some  Indians  work  one  way, 
some  the  other.  Follow  whichever  method  you  find  to  be  most  prac- 
tical. 

Dimensions  of  the  Basket. 

Inches. 

Diameter  of  bottom 7 

Diameter  at  largest  part  about 9^4 

Circumference  at  the  same  point 32 

The  circumference  of  the  upper  rim  is 29 

Height  of  the  basket iil/2 

Material  Required. — This  is  approximately  as  follows : 
24  Ib.  No.  6  reed.  l/+  Ib.  Brown  raffia. 

Y-2.  Ib.  Natural  raffia.  l/4  Ib.  Dark  Indian  red  raffia. 

54  Ib.  Black  raffia.  }4  Ib.  Light  Indian  red  raffia. 

}4  Ib.  Olive  raffia.  54  Ib.  Light  blue  raffia. 

The  colored  raffia  was  dyed  with  vegetable  dyes  and  was  procured 
from  the  Arts  and  Crafts  rooms,  Hingham,  Mass. 

Design. — To  make  the  design  on  your  basket,  cut  out  a  piece  of 
paper  the  size  and  shape  of  the  basket.  Then  outline  upon  it  the 
design  required.  This  will  then  act  as  a  guide  as  you  weave. 

The  Lazy  Stitch. — This  is  best  made  by  seeing  that  when  the  second 
coil  is  reached  the  long  stitches  are  placed  over  the  corresponding  short 
ones  except  where  it  is  necessary  to  add  stitches  for  the  purpose  of 
widening  as  the  coil  grows  larger,  and,  therfore,  requires  a  larger 
number  of  stitches  to  cover  it. 

Widening. — This  is  done  by  placing  two  long  stitches  over  one  short 
one.  I  find  it  best  to  work  always  from  the  right  to  the  left.  Continue 
thus  until  the  flat  disk  has  been  produced  of  the  size  desired  for  the 
bottom,  viz.,  7  inches. 

Making  the  Sides. — The  sides  of  the  basket  are  made  by  placing  the 
reed  directly  above  and  outside  of  the  last  coil.  To  make  the  sides  per- 
pendicular the  reed  should  be  held  exactly  above  the  last  row  of  stitches ; 
to  increase  the  diameter  or  produce  a  flaring  shape  the  reed  should  be 
held  above  and  a  little  outside  of  the  row  last  made,  and  to  diminish  the 
circle  or  to  shape  the  basket  inward  the  reed  should  be  held  above  and 
a  little  inside  of  the  last  row. 

Introducing  the  Color. — Place  the  colored  raffia  under  the  inside  of 
the  reed  and  take  at  least  one  short  stitch  over  it  to  hold  it  in  place. 
The  colored  raffia  should  be  carried  inside  the  stitches  lengthwise  of  the 
reed  except  at  the  places  where  it  is  desired  that  the  color  should  ap- 
pear, then  as  many  stitches  should  be  taken  with  it  as  the  design  re- 
quires. 

In  this  way  many  colors  can  be  used  at  one  time,  the  colors  not  used 
in  any  stitch  being  concealed  under  it. 

Finishing  Off. — Put  the  edge  on  the  basket  as  given  in  General 
Directions,  but  as  soon  as  possible  begin  to  experiment  on  different 
colors  and  styles  of  finish. 

64 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


THE  MAIDEN-HAIR  FERN  BASKET,  LAZY  STITCH. 

The  basket  here  pictured  was  made  by  one  of  the  best  weavers  of 
New  England,  Mrs.  M.  G.  Jones,  15  Landseer  St.,  West  Roxbury, 
Mass.  At  my  request  Mrs.  Jones  has  written  full  instructions  for  the 
making  of  this  basket.  She  writes :  "The  following  description  may 
seem  to  many  as  needlessly  minute,  but  when  one  meets  a  lady  who  has 
picked  out  her  instruction  from  books,  and  thus  taught  herself  to  do 
left  hand  work  with  her  right  hand,  it  seems  time  to  be  very  explicit." 

It  will  be  well  for  weavers  to  compare  these  instructions  with  what  I 
have  written  in  the  General  Directions. 

Materials  required. — Reeds  No.  2,  3  oz. ;  Raffia,  Natural,  2  oz. ; 
raffia,  green,  i  oz. ;  raffia,  seal  brown,  12  strands. 

Size  of  basket. — Diameter  of  bottom,  6  inches;  height,  3^/2  inches; 
circumference  of  largest  part.  26^/2  inches ;  diameter  of  top,  6^4  inches. 


Fig.  40.     Maiden  Hair  Fern  Basket,  made  by  Mrs.  M.  G.  Jones. 


Select  a  pliable  reed — try  it  two  or  three  inches  from  the  end,  to  find 
if  it  bends  easily  without  breaking.  Soak  it  a  few  moments  in  warm 
water — longer  in  cold  water.  Hold  it  firmly  in  left  hand  about  ten 
inches  from  working  end,  and  draw  it  several  times  between  thumb 
and  finger  of  right  hand,  to  make  it  yet  more  pliable. 

Reeds  coil  naturally  in  one  direction ;  take  advantage  of  that  in  pre- 
paring the  point  of  the  reed,  by  taking  from  the  thickness  on  both  sides, 
beginning  about  an  inch  back  from  the  end,  cutting  it  to  slant  grad- 
ually to  a  thin  shaving.  Take  nothing  from  the  width. 

Divide  the  raffia  into  two  strands.  Thread  a  No.  20  blunt  tapestry 
needle  with  one  of  the  strands.  Take  the  prepared  reed  in  the  left 

65 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


hand,  with  the  prepared  point  toward  the  right  hand.  Place  the  knot- 
end  of  the  raffia  (though  there  must  be  no  knots  in  raffia)  about  two 
inches  from  the  end — hold  it  firmly  with  left  hand  thumb  and  finger. 
Now  wrap  the  shaving  inch  of  reed  smoothly,  over  and  over — from  you 
— to  within  one-eighth  or  less  of  an  inch  from  the  end.  This  wrapping 
is  to  keep  the  reed  from  breaking  or  splintering.  Now  turn  back  just 
the  unwrapped  bit  of  reed,  towards  the  left  hand,  and  over  the  wrapped 
part  of  the  reed.  Turn  it  again  and  again  until  the  shaved  part  has 
been  rolled  to  meet  the  full  size  part  of  the  reed.  We  will  call  this  the 
button  part  of  the  coil.  The  rolling  of  the  thin  part  of  the  reed  makes 
a  button  of  right  proportion  to  the  reed.  Keep  it  in  smallest  space 
possible,  by  pressure  of  left  hand  thumb  and  finger,  while  sewing  over 
and  over  (bringing  the  needle  up  from  below)  two  or  three  times  until 
sure  the  obstinate  little  point  is  securely  fastened.  Now  begin  to  cover 
the  button  with  the  regular  figure  8  stitch,  thus : — Wrap  the  raffia  over 
the  button-reed,  from  you,  taking  it  down  between  the  button-coil  and 
upper  reed — up  over  the  upper  reed — toward  you — back  again,  from 
you  between  the  button  and  upper  reed.  This  time,  bring  the  needle 
up  through  the  center  of  the  button,  and  wrap  again  the  button  reed 
as  at  first.  Continue  thus,  until  you  have  worked  around  the  button  to 
where  it  was  commenced.  Then  instead  of  coming  up  through  the 
button,  take  one  stitch  ahead  between  the  two  reeds,  and  you  are  started 
on  the  continuous  coil. 

Be  careful  to  draw  each  stitch  firmly  to  its  place,  by  hand,  not  from 
the  needle's  eye,  as  that  wears  and  breaks  the  raffia  too  much.  Be  sure 
and  cut  off  fraying  raffia  as  soon  as  it  appears.  If  left  without  cutting, 
it  may  be  drawn  into  the  next  stitch,  giving  a  rough  look  to  the  work. 
In  taking  the  first  regular  stitches  in  the  button,  coil  the  reed,  a  little 
bit,  that  when  you  draw  the  raffia  firmly  into  place  it  may  fit  smoothly 
to  the  coil.  Do  this  for  every  stitch  while  the  coil  is  small,  and  work 
it  smoothly  all  through  the  basket.  In  working  the  button  around  to 
where  it  was  commenced,  it  is  better  to  take  one  stitch  less,  to  fill  it, 
than  one  too  many,  as  that  gives  a  long  stitch  which  looks  quite  out  of 
place.  If  the  raffia  has  not  filled  the  center  of  the  button,  and  if  by 
pressure  of  thumb  nails  the  raffia  cannot  be  pressed  to  fill  the  space, 
better  cut  it  off  and  try  again. 

When  a  new  thread  of  raffia  is  required,  be  sure  that  the  last  stitch 
of  the  old  raffia  is  left  off  on  the  lower  half  of  the  figure  8  stitch,  the 
needle  from  you,  between  the  upper  and  lower  reed ;  unthread  the 
needle,  thread  again  with  new.  Take  up  the  basket  ready  to  sew. 
Draw  the  old  thread  of  raffia  closely  over  the  tip  of  the  first  finger  of 
the  left  hand,  place  the  end  of  the  new  raffia  over  the  old — hold  them 
both  firmly,  between  the  tips  of  the  first  and  second  fingers  of  the  left 
hand.  Now  take  the  new  raffia,  and  wrap  the  upper  reed,  toward  you 
— twice,  the  second  wrapping  to  come  close  up  to  the  last  stitch  of  the 
old  raffia.  This  wrapping  makes  the  upper  part  of  the  8  stitch.  Work 
two  stitches,  before  loosening  the  firm  hold  on  the  raffia  ends — then 
carry  the  ends  close  to  the  upper  reed,  towards  the  left  hand.  Fasten 
stronger  by  sewing  over  them  several  regular  stitches,  then  cut  them 
off. 

To  introduce  color,  start  the  same  as  new  piece  of  raffia.  Carry  the 
natural  raffia  along  the  upper  reed,  under  the  colored  raffia,  until  it  is 

66 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


needed  again,  when,  put  under  the  color,  and  bring  out  the  other;  al- 
ways leave  off  stitches  on  the  lower  part  of  the  figure  8  stitch  as  new 
color  is  added.  Notice  how  nicely,  as  the  raffia  is  wrapped  towards  you 
(for  the  upper  part  of  the  figure  8  stitch)  it  brings  into  and  keeps  in 
place  the  raffia  just  left  off. 

To  shape  the  basket  always  start  along  the  line  up  from  where  the 
coil  was  commenced,  and  for  this  reason,  after  working  an  inch  or  two 
in  diameter  on  the  bottom  of  the  basket,  mark  the  place  by  sewing  in 
a  basting  of  colored  raffia,  to  readily  locate  the  place  where  colors 
should  begin,  the  sides  turned  up  and  the  basket  finished. 

The  worker  is  to  hold  the  outside  of  the  basket  toward  her.  This 
basket  is  to  flare.  Sew  a  few  inches  along  the  reed  as  usual — then 


Fig.  41.     Baskets  by  Miss  Nelly  Sutton,  Detroit,  Mich. 


press  the  reed  upward,  to  flare  very  slightly — and  so  on,  every  few 
inches.  This  gives  a  more  symmetrical  shape  for  a  beginner  than  to 
trust  to  holding  the  reed  in  place.  When  the  proper  flare  has  been 
reached,  begin,  at  the  right  place  (along  the  line  up  where  the  coil 
was  commenced),  to  press  the  reed — after  it  has  been  worked  a  few 
inches— r slightly  straighter  up — the  next  time  around,  straighter  still — 
the  third  time  quite  straight  up,  the  next  time  begin  to  press  the  reed 
slightly  inward  and  so  on  for  several  times  around,  when  you  can  press 
it  inward  almost  flat,  if  it  will  conform  to  proportion  and  symmetry. 
Doing  this  by  inches,  is  to  make  sure  the  reed  is  not  sewed  half  way 
around  the  basket,  when  it  would  not  so  readily  yield  to  pressure. 

To  finish  off  a  basket,  slant  the  upper  part  of  the  last  reed  for  two  or 

67 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


three  inches,  down  to  a  point,  making  sure  that  the  point  is  in  line  with 
the  beginning  of  the  coil.  The  last  few  stitches  can  be  sewed  over  and 
over.  Take  the  last  stitch  backward  and  cut  close. 

The  design  on  this  basket  was  taken  from  nature.  A  leaf  of  maiden- 
hair fern  was  pressed,  a  section  sewed  on  paper,  and  placed  before  the 
worker  to  do  the  best  she  could  with  it. 


LAZY  STITCH    BASKETS. 
By  Miss  Nelly  Sutton,  415  Woodward  Ave.,  Detroit,  Mich. 

The  accompanying  photograph  of  baskets  represents  a  bowl-shaped 
basket  made  of  No.  2  reed  and  raffia  in  natural  color  and  dark  brown. 
The  stitch  is  the  "lazy  stitch."  The  basket  is  4l/t  inches  deep  and  9 
inches  diameter  at  top. 

The  other  basket  is  done  in  the  same  colors  on  a  No.  4  reed  in  plaque 
stitch.  I  sewed  some  twine  in  with  the  reed  to  sew  to. 


JEWEL  BASKET. 
Made  by  Miss  Ella  M.  Ballou,  Quinn  Building,  Rutland,  Vermont. 

Size  of  basket. — Diameter,  4  inches ;  height,  2  inches. 

Material  used. — No.  2  reed,  raffia,  natural,  olive  green  and  seal  brown. 

The  bottom  of  the  basket  is  a  simple  coil  of  reed  woven  in  "lazy 
stitch,"  with  natural  raffia,  which  is  split  twice  (more  if  the  pieces 
were  very  large),  twenty-one  coils  completing  the  bottom;  for  the  last 
coil,  green  is  used.  The  green  is  continued  after  the  upward  turn  for 
the  side  is  made,  for  one  coil,  when  the  diamond  design  is  commenced. 

For  the  design  the  stitches  are  divided  as  follows : 

ist  coil :  4  stitches  of  green,  I  of  brown. 

2nd  coil :  2  stitches  green,  3  of  brown. 

3rd  coil :  I  stitch  of  green,  4  of  brown. 

4th  coil :  i  stitch  of  natural,  4  of  brown. 

5th  coil :  2  stitches  natural,  3  of  brown. 

6th  coil :  I  stitch  of  natural,  4  of  brown. 

7th  coil :  all  natural. 

Then  five  coils  "knot  stitch,"  and  eight  coils  "lazy  stitch"  completes 
side  of  basket. 

The  cover  is  commenced  with  a  spider's  web  in  green ;  then  two  coils 
lazy  stitch  in  green ;  six  coils  lazy  stitch  in  natural ;  four  coils  knot 
stitch  in  natural ;  three  coils  lazy  stitch  in  natural ;  four  coils  knot  stitch, 
natural  with  green  knot;  six  coils  lazy  squaw  stitch  in  green.  This 
completes  top  of  cover,  and  the  overlapping  edge  or  rim  of  cover  is  a 
repetition  of  the  diamond  pattern  employed  in  bottom  of  basket,  the 
finish  being  one  coil  of  knot  stitch  with  natural  raffia. 

Lining  of  green  silk  shade  lighter  than  raffia. 

69 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


LAZY  STITCH  BASKET. 
Made  by  Mrs.  F.  A.  Mangold,  914  E.  loth  Ave.,  Denver,  Colo. 

Dimensions. — Bottom  diameter,  5  inches ;  top  diameter,  5^  inches 
middle  diameter,  10  inches  (at  6l/2  inches  high)  ;  height,  9^/2  inches 
weight,  24  pound. 

Materials  used. — 10  lengths  of  No.  4  reed ;  4  bunches  of  raffia,  nat- 
ural ;  2  bunches  of  raffia,  red ;  I  bunch  of  raffia,  black. 


Fig.  35.    Lazy  Stitch  Basket  by  Mrs.  F.  A.  Mangold,  Denver,  Colo. 


Make  bottom  as  in  General  Directions,  using  the  lazy  stitch.  When 
it  is  of  the  required  size  begin  pattern  where  you  begin  to  turn  basket 
up.  Mark  off  seven  divisions  and  take  first  two  stitches  in  black,  then 
two  in  natural  raffia,  four  in  red,  two  natural,  two  black,  fill  in  with 
natural  raffia  to  next  division,  and  proceed  as  before.  When  four 
rounds  like  this  have  been  made,  move  forward  two  stitches,  thus 
forming  the  spiral.  Stitch  off  top  in  black. 

70 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


LAZY  STITCH  WORK  BASKET. 
Made  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Dodds,  325  Lenox  Ave.,  New  York. 

Dimensions. — It  is  6  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base  and  nine  at  the 
top,  and  5  inches  high. 

Materials. — No.  3  reed,  one  pound  of  natural  raffia,  *4  pound  of 
brown,  and  l/\  pound  of  green. 

Make  the  bottom  as  in  General  Directions  until  you  have  25  coils, 
or  a  base  of  6  inches  in  diameter. 

After  turning  up  the  sides  continue  until  you  have  five  reeds  up 
from  the  base.     Then  thread  the  needle  with  green  and  sew  around 


Fig.  44.     Dance  Basket,  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Dodds,  New  York. 


twice.  Then  use  brown  for  four,  natural  for  three,  brown  for  four  and 
natural  for  eleven  for  twice  around  till  you  form  the  feet  of  six  men. 
Then  use  two  stitches  for  each  leg  and  go  around  five  times  for  the  legsi 
The  width  of  the  body  is  eight  stitches  of  brown.  The  third  time  for 
the  body  the  hands  are  begun  by  making  one  brown  stitch  half  way 
between  each  body.  After  first  time  take  one  stitch  on  right  and  one 
on  the  left  of  the  joining  of  hands  for  arms  and  continue  this  until  the, 
arms  meet  the  body  13  rounds  farther  up. 

For  the  neck  3  stitches  of  brown  for  two  rounds,  5  for  the  head  2 
rounds.  Then  work  three  times  around  with  green,  and  2  with  the 
natural,  and  the  basket  is  complete. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


LAZY  STITCH  WITH  SOFT  INNER  COIL. 

With  illustrative  basket  made  by  Mrs.  Charlotte  Wilkinson,  86  E.  4th 
St.,  Corning,  N.  Y. 

In  the  Lazy  Stitch  baskets  before  described  the  material  of  the  inner 
coil  has  been  reed — a  hard  substance.  The  Indians  used  a  large  variety 
of  substances ;  generally  whatever  is  most  convenient  and  best  adapted 
to  their  purpose.  White  weavers  use  raffia,  or  wild  grasses  or  straws. 


Fig.  45.    Lazy  Stitch  Basket,  with  Soft  Inner  Coil,  by  Mrs.  Charlotte  Wilkinson, 

Corning,  N.  Y. 

There  is  no  difference  in  the  method  of  making  the  stitch.  It  only 
requires  a  little  different  manipulation  owing  to  the  soft  nature  of  the 
coil.  Also  the  weaver  must  see  that  as  the  material  decreases  the  size 
of  the  coil  it  is  replenished.  The  coil  must  be  kept  of  uniform  size. 

Size  of  Basket. — Top,  6  inches  in  diameter ;  bottom,  5  inches  in  di- 
ameter; coils,  5-16  inch  in  diameter;  circumference  of  largest  part  30 

72 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


inches;  height,  15  inches;  diameter  of  neck,  smallest  part,  $l/2  inches; 
it  is  ten  inches  high  before  commencing  to  draw  in  for  the  neck. 

Starting  the  Basket. — Take  five  or  six  threads  of  natural  raffia,  hold 
firmly,  wind  the  end  with  raffia  for  about  an  inch.  Then  make  the  but- 
ton coil  as  tightly  as  possible.  Now  wind  the  coil,  say  five  times,  then 
fasten  to  the  button  with  the  long  stitch. 

(It  will  be  noticed  that  Mrs.  Wilkinson  does  not  make  one  short  and 
one  long  stitch,  but  five  short  and  one  long.  See  the  photograph  for 
the  result.) 

Four  coils  from  the  center,  divide  the  basket  into  four  parts  and  begin 
by  using  two  'threads  of  orange  and  two  blue,  the  next  row  make  blue 
the  width  of  orange  and  blue  together,  putting  orange  on  each  edge. 
The  third  row  make  blue  the  size  of  first  row,  with  orange  the  same  as 
first  row.  This  makes  a  neat  little  figure  for  the  bottom. 

For  the  Sides. — Follow  General  Directions.  In  making  the  turn  to 
shape  the  bottom  it  should  be  done  so  gradually  that  it  won't  make  the 
basket  one-sided.  After  weaving  eight  coils  from  center  commence  to 
shape  for  the  sides.  Three  coils  plain  weaving  will  make  it  ready  for 
the  next  figure. 

Divide  the  circumference  into  seven  equal  parts,  beginning  seven 
half  diamonds.  The  center  is  all  blue  bordered,  with  two  threads  of 
orange.  This  half  diamond  is  drawn  to  a  point  by  six  coils. 

On  top  of  this  figure  make  a  whole  row  of  blue,  then  a  row  of  orange. 
The  whole  diamonds  are  bordered  with  first  two  threads  of  orange, 
then  two  blue,  two  green,  widening  the  figure  with  red,  and  black  in 
center  row,  for  three  rows,  making  a  little  figure  of  black  in  center  of 
diamond.  Again  border  this  row  of  diamonds  with  orange  and  blue. 
The  top  diamond  looks  very  different  from  the  lower  one,  using  the 
same  arrangement  of  color  only  making  the  blue  the  most  prominent 
instead  of  the  red. 

Narrowing  for  the  Neck. — This  is  done  by  following  the  reverse 
process  of  enlarging.  Place  the  new  top  coil  a  little  inside  the  coil 
beneath,  sewing  it  firmly  into  place.  The  next  coil  press  in  still  further 
until  the  basket  is  narrowed  to  the  required  shape. 

The  Neck. — This  is  made  by  keeping  three  coils  about  even,  one 
exactly  above  the  other,  before  flaring  again  for  the  top.  The  neck  is 
in  natural  color,  divided  in  sections  by  two  stitches,  each  of  orange, 
blue,  green  and  red.  ^ 

The  Top. — The  top  is  finished  with  four  complete  coils  of  color. 
First,  red,  then  orange,  then  green,  then  blue,  flaring  as  described. 

The  color  scheme  for  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  or  really  the 
shoulder,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  illustration,  consists  of  four  com- 
plete coils.  The  first  is  blue,  next  orange,  next  green,  next  red. 

Finishing  the  Top. — Taper  the  inside  of  the  coil  down  to  a  point, 
then  finish  as  per  General  Directions.  I  have  given  Mrs.  Wilkinson's 
color  scheme  as  she  describes  it,  but  cannot  commend  it. 


73 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


THE    KNOT    STITCH. 


This  has  sometimes  been  called  the  Lace  Stitch,  and  the  Mariposa 
Stitch.  The  Mariposa  Indians  never  have  used  it,  as  far  as  I  can 
learn,  hence  it  is  merely  a  pretty  name.  And  that  is  good ! 

Starting  the  Basket. — Begin  exactly  as  described  in  General  Direc- 
tions. 

The  Knot  Stittti. — There  is  really  very  little  difference  between  this 
stitch  and  the  Lazy  stitch  or  the  figure  8,  except  that  in  this  it  is  best 
to  wind  towards  you  when  making  the  coil.  Bring  the  threaded  needle 
up  between  the  new  and  old  coil  to  the  left  of  the  stitch  that  last  bound 
the  two  coils  together.  Then  cross  over  this  stitch  to  the  right,  going 
down  between  the  two  coils  on  the  right  side,  then  up,  back  of  the 
crossed  stitch,  and  over  so  as  to  wrap  the  upper  reed  again.  Then 
wrap  the  two  reeds,  make  the  up  stitch  on  the  left,  cross  over,  down 
between  coils  on  the  right,  up,  back  of  crossed  stitch,  and  over  again. 
Thus  is  made  the  knot  stitch.  It  is  simply  crossing  of  the  long  stitch 
of  the  lazy  stitch,  and  is  capable  of  being  made  into  every  form  and 
design  of  any  of  the  other  coiled  stitches. 


Fig.  46.     Method  of  Making  the  Knot  Stitch. 

Color  is  introduced  in  this  stitch  as  in  the  other  stitches.  See  General 
Directions,  not  forgetting  that  each  stitch  goes  over  each  coil  twice,  and 
that  it  is  not  the  number  of  stitches  that  count  so  much  as  the  space  to 
be  filled.  In  other  words,  fill  up  the  space  required  for  your  design  in 
the  color  chosen  regardless  of  the  number  of  stitches. 

This  knot  stitch  can  plainly  be  seen  in  the  basket  made  by  Mrs. 
Batchelder  and  pictured  in  Fig.  47. 

For  an  Oval  Basket. — This  weave  is  well  adapted  for  such  a  basket  as 
pictured  in  Fig.  2. 

Material  required. — 5  ounces  No.  4  reed ;  2  ounces  black  raffia ;  2>4 
ounces  natural  raffia. 

Measure  off  about  6y2  or  7  inches  of  the  reed,  and,  after  soaking  in 
hot  water  and  wiping  dry,  bend  so  that  the  main  length  of  reed  and  the 
measured  off  piece  lie  side  by  side. 

Carefully  prepare  the  raffia  so  that  the  strands  are  of  equal  width. 
This  is  important,  as  the  beauty  of  a  basket  of  this  nature  depends 
largely  upon  the  perfection  of  the  stitch. 

74 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


Beginning  to  Weave. — Take  the  bent  reed  in  your  left  hand,  so  that 
short  end  comes  next  to  you,  pointing  to  the  left.  Now  begin  wrapping, 
with  the  long  end  of  your  raffia  (not  the  needle  end),  towards  you,  over 
the  bend  of  the  reed,  three  or  four  times,  until  all  evidence  of  cracking 
or  splitting  is  covered.  Now  make  one  Lazy  Stitch,  which  consists  of 
a  short  stitch  over  one  reed,  and  a  long  stitch  over  both  reeds.  Now 
proceed  to  use  the  Knot  Stitch  as  already  described,  until  the  base  is 
the  size  required. 

For  rounding  up  the  sides,  introduction  of  color,  etc.,  see  General 
Directions. 

BASKET  OF  MIXED  STITCHES. 

RAFFIA  SCRAP  BASKET. 
By  Mrs.  Alice  M.  Batchelder,  Exeter,  N.  H. 

Materials  used. — One-half  pound  No.  4  reed,  six  ounces  natural 
raffia,  two  ounces  old  blue,  one-half  ounce  black,  the  colors  being  vege- 
table dye. 

From  start  to  finish  there  are  one  hundred  and  three  rows  of  weav- 
ing. 

The  center,  which  forms  the  bottom  of  the  basket,  is  the  starting  point. 
Wet  a  No.  4  reed,  when  pliable  coil  so  the  center  or  ring  will  be  ^  of 
an  inch  across.  Take  a  piece  of  natural  raffia,  wind  the  ring,  then  sew 
with  the  figure  8  stitch,  going  from  one  side  to  the  other  to  fill  in  the 
hole  having  four  stitches  on  each  side,  hold  the  reed  firm  and  sew  four 
stitches  on  opposite  side  of  ring  with  coil  between. 

Coil  raffia  round  the  reed  until  it  reaches  the  first  four  stitches ;  sew 
one  stitch  between  each  stitch  and  over  the  coil,  making  the  stitches 
even  distance  apart  (coil  the  raffia  once  over  the  reed  after  every 
stitch),  increase  the  stitches  as  may  be  necessary  to  keep  it  flat  until 
the  tenth  row,  make  three  stitches,  then  coil  these  three  stitches,  having 
the  coil  same  length  as  the  three  stitches  (this  is  lazy  stitch),  continue 
to  end  of  row. 

Eleventh  row,  two  stitches  above  the  three,  coil  between. 

Twelfth  row,  one  stitch  over  two,  coil  between. 

Thirteenth  row,  two  stitches  over  one,  coil  between. 

Increase  stitches  on  every  row  until  they  meet  all  round,  then  de- 
crease same  as  you  increased  (forming  diamonds). 

We  have  now  reached  the  twenty-fourth  row.  This  is  sewed  in  the 
figure  8  stitch. 

Sew  these  stitches  very  close  together,  sewing  very  tight  on  each, 
four  sides  of  the  circle,  gradually  holding  the  outer  reed  a  .little  farther 
out  as  you  near  the  four  corners  for  we  are  beginning  to  make  the 
bottom  square. 

Cut  four  pieces  of  No.  4  reed  four  inches  long ;  cut  the  end  of  each 
tapering  to  a  point.  When  the  reed  is  sewed  round  the  next  time  one 
four-inch  piece  fs  sewed  in  between  the  two  reeds,  the  outer  reed  is 
very  slightly  cut  on  the  outer  edge  to  make  it  turn  more  square,  the 
reed  being  sewed  in  the  corners.  Then  cut  four  more  four-inch  pieces 
as  before  and  put  in  the  corners  the  next  time  round.  When  this  row  is 
finished  we  have  an  8^4-inch  square  for  bottom  of  basket. 

75 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


We  are  now  ready  to  make  the  sides.  Hold  the  reed  on  top  of  the 
preceding  row  and  cut  slightly  on  outer  edge  of  reed  every  eight  and 
one-half  inches  and  sew  same  as  in  the  beginning  of  basket. 

Third  row,  lazy  stitch  begins,  making  groups  of  three  stitches  with 
coil  over  two  stitches. 

Fourth  row,  two  stitches  over  three. 

Fifth  row,  one  over  two. 

Sixth  row,  two  over  one. 

Seventh  row,  two  between  each  two. 

Eighth  row,  two  between  each,  with  one  blue  stitch  between  each  two 
stitches  in  preceding  row  excepting  in  the  corners. 

Ninth  row,  two  blue  stitches  one  each  side  of  corner,  one  white 


Fig.  47.    Basket  of  Mixed  Stitches,  by  Mrs.  Batchelder,  Exeter,  N.  H. 

stitch,  coil,  make  one  blue  stitch  each  side  of  every  other  blue  one  in 
preceding  row,  coiling  with  blue  between. 

Tenth  row,  corner  three  over  two  of  blue,  coil  white  until  you  come 
to  the  one  blue  stitch  which  you  coiled  over  in  preceding  row,  make 

76 


PRACTICAL    11ASKKT    MAK1NC.. 


two  blue  stitches,  coil  with  white  to  next  one  blue  stitch  over  which 
make  two  blue  (repeat  to  end  of  row). 

Eleventh  row,  corner,  blue  four  over  three,  coil  white  until  over  first 
blue  stitch,  then  make  a  white  stitch  with  a  cross  stitch  over  the  stitch. 
Make  these  stitches  every  half  inch  on  sides  of  basket. 

Twelfth  row,  corner  blue  five  over  four,  coil  white,  make  a  stitch 
with  a  cross  stitch  each  side  of  one  in  preceding  row. 

Thirteenth  row,  corner  blue  six  over  five,  coil  white,  make  one  white 
stitch  with  cross  stitch  between  each  two  in  preceding  row. 

Fourteenth  row,  corner  blue,  seven  over  six  coil  white  to  second  stitch 
in  preceding  row,  make  one  blue  stitch  with  cross  stitch  each  side,  coil 
white  to  next  stitch  in  preceding  row,  make  two  white  cross  stitches 
each  side  of  stitch,  coil  white  to  next,  make  two  blue,  coil  white  to  next, 
make  two  white,  coil  to  next,  make  two  blue,  coil  to  corner.  This  makes 
three  groups  of  two  blue  cross  stitches,  two  groups  of  two  white  cross 
stitches. 

Fifteenth  row,  corner  one  white,  one  blue,  one  white,  one  blue. 

(The  first  white  is  exactly  in  the  corner.) 

Coil  white  to  center  of  two  blue,  make  one  blue  cross  stitch,  coil  white, 
make  one  white  between  two  white  of  preceding  row  (repeat). 

Sixteenth  row,  corner  one  black,  each  side  of  the  white,  one  blue  in 
same  stitch,  one  white,  one  blue,  coil  white  to  center  of  preceding  coil, 
make  a  cross  stitch,  coil  to  one  blue,  make  one  white  cross  stitch  each 
side,  coil  to  next,  make  two  blue  cross  stitch,  coil  white  to  next,  make 
two  white  cross  stitch  (repeat). 

Seventeenth  row,  this  reed  is  not  cut  at  corners  but  held  firmly  (wet 
the  reed  before  bending) . 

Corner  five  blue,  coil  white,  two  cross  white  stitches  over  one  in  pre- 
ceding row,  coil,  one  white  cross  stitch  over  two  in  preceding  row,  coil, 
three  blue  cross  stitches  over  two  (repeat). 

The  basket  is  gradually  held  in  on  each  succeeding  row  and  Ae  de- 
sign can  now  be  followed  from  the  photo  ;  the  darkest  stitches  are  black  ; 
the  light,  natural  or  white ;  the  medium  shade  old  blue. 

Measurements. — The  basket  measures  twenty-six  (26)  inches  half 
way  up;  twenty-four  and  a  half  inches  just  before  beginning  to  widen. 
The  last  row  measures  thirty-six  inches.  Height  twelve  inches. 

Remarks. — The  old  blue  in  this  basket  I  dyed  last  spring  while  ex- 
perimenting with  dyes  of  various  colors. 

I  intended  to  have  the  bottom  of  basket  photographed,  for  it  is  orig- 
inal. I  have  never  made  or  seen  a  basket  like  it.  The  shape  and  design 
are  both  original.  The  design  does  not  appear  as  handsome  in  the 
photograph  as  it  is  in  the  original. 


THE     HOPI    STITCH. 

With  illustrative  basket  by  Mrs.  Alice  F.  Rollins,  520  E.    I4th  St.. 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

This  stitch  is  exactly  the  same,  in  main  principles,  as  the  Havasupai 
stitch  next  described,  except  that  the  outer  wrapping  is  of  soft  and  pli- 
able yucca  fibre,  instead  of  the  harsher  willow  splints.  The  Hopi  uses 

77 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


for  the  filling  of  the  inner  coil  the  stems  of  a  native  broom  corn.  The 
white  weaver  may  use  raffia,  or  fine  straws  or  any  native  grass  stem 
that  she  finds  in  her  immediate  neighborhood.  Some  most  wonderful 
effects  in  geometrical  designs  can  be  made  on  flat  plaques  by  this 
weave,  as  will  be  further  shown  by  the  illustrations. 

To  begin  the  basket  make  a  button  coil  as  described  in  General  Direc- 
tions and  in  the  description  of  the  Havasupai  stitch,  filling  the  coil  with 


Fig.  48.    Kuch-ye-amp-si,  the  Hopi  Weaver. 

as  much  soft  material  as  you  desire.  In  Fig.  48  Kuchyeampsi,  the 
Hopi  weaver,  is  shown  at  work  on  a  basket  of  this  character.  The 
white  weaver,  however,  uses  a  needle  of  threaded  raffia  instead  of  the 
bone  awl  and  yucca  splint  of  the  aborigine. 

The  button  of  the  coil  made,  the  weaver  brings  her  raffia  around  the 
coil,  taking  care  to  see  that  it  lies  flat  on  the  grass,  and  that  it  is  drawn 

78 


PRACTICAL    BASKKT    MAKING. 


as  tight  as  possible.  Now,  turning  the  basket  over  she  thrusts  the 
needle  through  the  upper  edge  of  the  coil  below,  pulls  the  thread  tight 
and  then  makes  another  wrapping  of  her  raffia  thread,  sews  through  the 
coil  again,  and  so  on,  ad  libitum.  This  is  the  whole  secret  of  the  Hopi 
stitch. 

To  Introduce  Color. — Sew  the  natural  raffia  a  few  coils  further  than 
needed.  Then  insert  the  color  two  or  three  stitches  further  back,  sew- 
ing over  the  natural  raffia  and  thus  binding  it  tightly  in  place.  When 
you  wish  to  abandon  the  color  and  go  back  to  natural,  or  some  other 
color,  do  likewise. 

Making  the  Design. — In  the  flat  plaques  of  the  Hopis  the  geometrical 
designs  used  are  most  marvellous  in  their  variety  and  interesting  diver- 
sity. Every  possible  combination  has  been  worked  out  by  these  ingenu- 


Fig.  49.     Hopi  Stitch  Basket,  by  Mrs.  Alice  F.  Rollins,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

ous  people.  Suggestions  can  be  taken  from  the  following  pages.  De- 
cide on  the  size  you  wish  the  plaque  to  be,  then  cut  a  sheet- of  paper  to 
correspond,  divide  into  four  or  six  or  as  many  compartments  as  de- 
sired, draft  upon  them  the  design  to  be  copied,  and  as  the  work  pro- 
gresses lay  the  paper  over  the  basket  and  introduce  color  accordingly. 
For  other  than  a  flat  plaque  follow  General  Directions. 

Mrs.  Rollins's  basket  is  made  entirely  of  raffia,  and  the  following  is 
her  own  description  of  how  to  make  it. 

Material. — Raffia,  white  or  uncolored,  ^4  pound ;  raffia,  brown,  Y\ 
pound ;  i  crewel  needle,  'No.  2. 

79 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


This  basket  is  made  by  trimming  the  raffia  weaver  around  a  coil  of 
raffia  and  sewing  into  each  stitch  below  the  coil. 

The  beauty  ot  the  basket  depends  upon  the  uniform  size  of  the  coil, 
the  smoothness  of  the  twining  and  the  evenness  of  the  stitches. 

To  start'  the  basket  select  enough  raffia  to  make  the  coil  y%  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  putting  the  large  ends  together.  Dampen  the  raffia 
and  pull  it  through  the  hands  to  make  it  smooth.  Hold  the  large  ends 
between  the  thumb  and  fingers  of  the  left  hand.  Cut  them  even. 
Thread  a  small  strand  of  the  brown  raffia  into  the  crewel  needle.  Place 
the  end  of  the  brown  raffia  along  the  end  of  the  coil  and  wind  towards 
you  for  about  an  inch  from  the  end  of  the  coil  and  fasten  together  into 
as  small  a  ring  as  possible.  Coil  to  the  left,  twine  around  the  coil  once 
and  sew  into  the  stitch  below,  putting  the  needle  through  the  coil  from 
the  front.  Do  not  let  the  coil  vary  in  size.  Put  more  raffia  into  it  as  it 
is  needed  to  keep  the  coil  uniform.  Sew  in  this  way  until  you  have  3 
coils  or  rows  of  the  brown.  Lay  the  brown  raffia  along  the  coil  and  take 
up  a  white  strand  from  the  coil.  Sew  with  the  white  raffia  until  you 
have  5  rows  of  white,  then  change  to  the  brown  and  sew  i  row,  then  sew 
4  rows  of  the  white. 

This  finishes  the  bottom  of  the  basket,  which  should  be  perfectly 
flat  and  about  8  inches  in  diameter.  Now  hold  the  coil  perpendicular 
to  the  bottom  and  sew  i  row  of  white  beginning  the  side  of  the  basket. 
Divide  this  into  8  equal  parts,  marking  the  divisions  plainly  and  begin 
the  pattern  at  any  point  of  division  as  follows : — Sew  6  stitches  of 
the  brown,  then  7  stitches  of  the  white,  then  6  stitches  of  the  brown, 
then  the  white  to  the  next  point  of  division. 

Repeat  until  you  have  the  beginning  of  8  figures.  It  is  very  impor- 
tant to  start  the  pattern  correctly  as  upon  this  depends  the  beauty  of 
the  basket.  See  Illustration. 

Second  row,  sew  with  the  white  raffia  until  you  have  3  stitches  left 
of  the  brown  beginning  the  pattern,  or  first  figure.  Then  lay  down  the 
white  and  take  up  the  brown  raffia  (passing  the  color  not  in  use  along 
the  top  of  the  coil).  Sew  three  stitches  directly  over  the  3  brown 
stitches  below,  then  sew  7  white  stitches,  3  brown  stitches,  then  white 
stitches  until  the  next  figure  is  reached.  Repeat  until  all  figures  have 
2  rows. 

Third  row,  this  is  made  the  same  as  the  second  row  only  there  are  4 
stitches  of  the  brown,  the  first  beginning  a  little  to  the  right  of  the 
brown  stitch  below  and  ending  a  little  to  the  left  with  6  white  stitches 
in  the  middle. 

Fourth  row,  this  has  5  brown  stitches,  5  white  stitches,  5  brown 
stitches,  then  white  stitches  to  the  next  figure. 

Fifth  row,  this  has  6  brown  stitches,  4  white  stitches,  then  6  brown 
stitches  with  white  stitches  to  the  next  figure. 

Sixth  row,  this  has  7  brown  stitches,  2  white  stitches,  then  7  brown 
stitches,  then  white  stitches  to  the  next  pattern.  Repeat  until  all 
figures  have  6  rows,  then  sew  with  the  white  to  within  6  stitches  of 
the  first. 

Seventh  row,  figure  started.  Now  sew  3  brown  stitches,  then  3  white 
stitches,  then  17  brown  stitches,  then  3  white  stitches,  then  3  brown 
stitches,  then  white  stitches  to  within  6  stitches  of  the  next  figure. 
Repeat. 

80 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 

Eighth  row,  this  has  3  brown  stitches,  3  white  stitches,  16  brown 
stitches,  3  white  stitches,  3  brown  stitches,  then  white  stitches  to  the 
next  figure. 

Ninth  row,  this  has  3  brown  stitches,  4  white  stitches  15  brown 
stitches,  4  white  stitches  3  brown  stitches,  with  white  stitches  to  the 
next  pattern. 

Tenth  row,  same  as  ninth  row,  with  3  brown  stitches,  5  white  stitches, 
14  brown  stitches,  5  white  stitches,  3  brown  stitches. 

Eleventh  row,  3  brown  stitches,  4  white  stitches,  15  brown  stitches, 
4  white  stitches,  3  brown  stitches. 

Twelfth  row,  same  as  the  eleventh  row. 

Thirteenth  row,  beginning  with  the  brown,  sew  29  stitches,  the  last 
one  coming  over  the  last  one  of  the  brown  stitches  in  the  row  below. 

Fourteenth  row,  sew  12  white  stitches  over  the  12  brown  stitches, 
then  5  brown  stitches  over  5  brown  stitches,  then  white  stitches  to  the 
next  figure.  Repeat  on  all  figures. 

Fifteenth  row,  sew  15  stitches  of  the  brown,  having  5  stitches  in  the 
middle  of  the  15  stitches  directly  over  the  5  brown  stitches  sewed  in 
the  fourteenth  row.  Repeat  upon  all  figures  having  white  stitches 
between  the  figures. 

Sixteenth  row,  sew  5  brown  stitches  directly  above  the  middle  of 
the  15  brown  stitches  in  the  fifteenth  row.  Repeat  until  all  figures 
are  finished. 

Now  sew  2  rows  of  white  raffia.  When  within  2  inches  of  the 
point  to  end  coil  cut  it  to  a  point  and  join  it,  as  shown  in  the  illustration. 
(The  side  of  the  basket  flares  a  very  little.  The  one  in  the  illustration 
being  8  inches  in  diameter  at  the  bottom  and  10  inches  at  the  top.) 

Finish  the  top  with  the  "herring  bone"  border  of  brown,  which  is 
made  as  follows:  Thread  the  needle  with  brown  raffia  (not  too  fine). 
Hold  the  outside  of  the  basket  towards  you  and  sew  through  the  top 
of  the  coil,  from  the  inside  to  the  outside,  bring  the  raffia  backwards 
and  sew  through  the  coil  ^4  of  an  inch  back  from  the  starting  point. 
Now  put  the  needle  upward  and  sew  through  the  coil  %  of  an  inch 
in  advance  of  the  starting  point.  By  sewing  backward  and  forward  in 
this  way  we  get  the  braided  effect,  as  shown  in  Fig.  53. 

THE     HAVASUPAI    STITCH. 

This  is  one  of  the  commonest  of  the  coil  stitches  used  by  the 
Indians,  but  most  white  weavers  have  ignored  it  for  the  easier  and 


Figs.  50,  51,  52.    How  to  Make  the  Havasupai  Stitch. 

white  woman's  Figure  8  Stitch  and  the  Lazy  Stitch.     Fully  four- 
fifths  of  all  coiled  baskets  made  bv  the  Indians  are  made  bv  this  weave. 


Si 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


The  Havasupais  are  an  interesting  people.  Their  name  is  made  up 
as  follows :  Ha-ha,  water ;  vasu,  blue ;  pai,  people ;  or,  "the  people  of 
the  Blue  Water."  In  my  books  entitled  "In  and  Around  the  Grand 
Canyon"  and  "The  Indians  of  the  Painted  Desert"  I  have  told  somewhat 
of  their  life  and  marvelously  picturesque  home. 

Preparing  the  Material. — For  the  inner  material  of  the  coil  the 
Indian  uses  unpeeled  or  peeled  willows  the  size  she  desires,  generally 
the  latter.  For  wrapping  the  coil,  splints  of  willow,  made  by  splitting 
the  willow  into  three  equal  parts  and  then  shaving  down  the  pith  side, 
are  made.  Her  tool,  instead  of  a  needle,  is  a  bone  awl.  Now  the 
white  weaver  may  prepare  these  materials  if  she  be  willing  to  go  to  a 
little  trouble,  and  the  use  of  the  bone  awl  or  steel  bodkin  or  pricker 
will  soon  become  familiar.  Her  work  will  then  more  nearly  approxi- 
mate real  Indian  work  than  any  ever  yet  attempted. 

Making  the  Bottom  of  the  Coil. — Figs.  50  and  51  clearly  show 
how  this  is  done,  no  matter  whether  the  material  of  the  inner  coil  be  a 
wisp  of  loose  straws  or  stems,  or  two  or  more  fine  willows.  Here  it 
will  be  observed  that  the  coil  is  wrapped  but  once,  and  that  instead 


Fig.  53.     The  Herring  Bone  Finishing  Stitch. 

of  circling  the  lower  coil  as  well  as  the  new  one,  as  in  the  Figure  8 
Stitch,  a  hole  is  made  with  the  awl  through  the  upper  part  of  the 
lower  coil,  and  the  willow  split  threaded  through  that  and  drawn  tight. 

Continuing  the  Coil. — This  is  shown  in  Fig.  52,  where  the  wrap- 
ping split  circles  the  outer  coil  and  is  threaded  through  the  lower  one 
by  means  of  the  awl. 

Inserting  Colored  Splints. — There  are  two  methods  of  accomplishing 
this.  The  first  is  to  draw  the  natural  thread  through  the  pierced  hole 
to  the  outside  of  the  basket.  Then  through  the  same  hole  and  over 
the  natural  thread,  bring  the  colored  splint,  leaving  a  small  end  inside 
the  basket.  When  the  basket  is  finished  these  ends  are  cut  off  as  close 
as  possible. 

The  other  method  is  the  one  followed  often  by  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Indians  in  their  making  of  a  coiled  weave  basket.  The  colored 
thread  is  pulled  through  the  same  hole  as  the  end  of  the  old  thread, 
and  then  as  the  coil  is  made  the  end  of  the  colored  thread  is  thrust 
under  the  splint  that  wraps  the  coil,  thus  making  the  end  a  part  of  the 
inner  coil  itself.  In  changing  again  to  another  color  the  end  is  thrust 
under  two  or  three  stitches  already  made,  drawn  tight  and  then  cut 
off  close. 

The  Herring  Bone  Finish.— The.  story  of  this  stitch  is  fully  told  in 
Indian  Basketry,  pages  109  and  no.  It  is  made  by  a  single  splint 
which  is  passed  under  the  sewing  of  the  last  coil  and  then  drawn  over 

82 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


it  and  backward.  It  is  then  passed  under  again,  upward  and  forward, 
first  in  advance  of  the  starting  point.  Thus  by  sewing  backward  and 
forward,  as  one  coils  a  kite  string,  this  beautiful  braided  finishing  stitch 
is  produced.  It  is  not  only  beautiful :  its  usefulness  is  manifest  when 
it  is  known  that  a  basket  finished  off  this  way  will  stand  several 
years  more  of  hard  work  than  if  finished  in  the  ordinary  method. 


OPEN     POMA    STITCH. 

I  prefer  to  call  this  open  Poma  stitch  than  give  it  an  Indian  name 
that  is  somewhat  misleading.  The  Pomas  have  a  large  number  of 
different  stitches,  which  are  described  in  detail  in  my  Indian  Basketry. 
Their  word  bam  means  the  same  as  our  word  reed.  Their  Bam- 
Tsu-Wu  baskets  are  made  of  three  bams.  The  baskets  here  to  be  de- 
scribed can  be  made  of  three  bams  for  the  inner  coil,  or  of  grasses,  corn 


Fig.  54.     Swale  Grass  Tray,  by  Gertrude.  Ashley,  Deerfield,  Mass. 

husks,  or  raffia  or  whatever  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  weaver  may 
desire.  The  exquisite  basket  shown  in  Fig.  54  was  made  by  Gertrude 
Ashley,  of  Deerfield,  Mass.,  of  swale  grass  found  in  the  home  fields, 

83 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


cured  and  prepared  by  the  weaver  herself.  There  is  great  scope  for 
beauty  in  the  making  of  this  kind  of  basket  and  for  the  description 
I  have  taken  from  an  article  published  in  House  Beautiful  for  March, 
1904,  by  Miss  Mary  Evans  Francis,  who  has  made  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  perfect  of  white  women's  baskets  by  this  method. 

"The  beginner  will  find  it  easier,  in  a  first  attempt  at  basket-making. 
to  use  raffia  in  sewing,  as  some  skill  is  required  to  sew  coils  of  grass 
with  manila,  since  a  dozen  of  the  fine  strands  are  needed  to  fill  the  sail 
needle,  or  stout  needle,  and  grass  and  manila  may  become  hopelessly 
tangled  if  the  ambitious  worker  has  had  little  practice.  In  making  the 
first  basket,  one  of  not  too  difficult  shape  must  be  chosen,  and  the  form 
kept  clearly  in  mind  as  the  work  proceeds.  Or,  better  still,  draw  in 
pencil  an  outline  of  the  basket  and  keep  the  drawing  in  view. 

"Each  basket  is  formed  of  a  continuous  coil  of  grass,  which  is  started 
in  the  center  of  the  basket  bottom,  and  is  kept  of  uniform  size  by  the 
frequent  addition  of  a  few  spears  of  grass.  The  method  of  sewing  is 
very  simple,  a  plain  oversewing  stitch  being  used  to  bind  the  con 
closely  together.  The  sewing  material  is  joined  by  a  flat  knot  tied  so 
that  it  will  not  appear  on  the  surface  of  the  work. 

"To  make  a  basket  similar  to  Fig.  54,  take  a  medium-sized  bundle 
of  grass  and  dampen  it  slightly  so  that  it  will  be  pliable.  From  this 
draw  out  a  wisp  the  size  of  a  small  lead  pencil.  This  will  be  the  begin- 
ning of  the  coil  of  which  the  basket  is  built.  Having  threaded  a 
needle  with  a  strand  of  raffia,  tie  the  raffia  around  the  grass  one-half 
inch  from  the  coarser  end,  then  holding  the  grass  firmly  in  the  left 
hand  wind  the  raffia  closely  around  the  grass  ten  times,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  55-  This  is  to  form  the  very  center  of  the  bottom,  and  must  be 


Fig.  55.     Preparing  for  the  Button. 

carefully  coiled  upon  itself,  as  in  Fig.  56,  bringing  the  short  end  under- 
neath, and  letting  the  free  end  of  the  coil  pass  toward  the  left.  In 
putting  the  needle  in  for  the  first  stitch  the  raffia  passes  over  the  top 


Fig.  56.    Making  the  Button. 

of  the  coil  and  the  needle  is  inserted  diagonally  through  the  coil  under 
the  first  winding  thread. 

84 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 

"After  the  coil  has  been  sewn  around  once  or  twice  in  this  manner 
the  stitches  will  be  seen  to  interlock  in  curved  lines  radiating  from 
the  center,  forming  in  their  regularity  an  important  decorative  feature. 
Continue  the  sewing  until  a  mat  is  formed  three  inches  in  diameter, 
Fig.  57,  letting  the  coil  gradually  increase  in  size.  This  is  the  bottom 
of  the  basket  and  must  be  kept  flat,  or  slightly  raised  in  the  center. 
When  it  is  necessary  to  insert  more  grass,  in  order  to  keep  the  coil  of 
uniform  size  (it  will  not  have  to  be  done  before  the  third  time  around), 


Fig.  57.    The  Bottom  of  the  Basket. 


open  the  free  end  of  the  coil  close  to  the  last  stitch  and  place  a  few 
stalks  of  grass  inside  the  coil,  pushing  them  back  firmly,  and  taking 
care  that  their  ends  do  not  show  on  the  surface.  Now  turn  the  work 
so  that  the  lower  surface  is  uppermost,  and  the  free  end  of  the  coil 
passes  toward  the  right.  Bring  the  needle  back  under  this  coil  and 
continue  the  overhand  sewing.  In  this  way  the  outside  of  the  basket 
is  begun. 

"If  a  slender  grass  is  used,  the  coil  must  be  stiffened  by  using  on  its 
inner  side  a  coarse  grass  to  give  rigidity  to  the  basket.  Broom-grass, 
which  remains  through  the  winter  in  stiff,  brown  groups  by  waysides 
and  in  neglected  fields,  is  one  of  the  best  for  this  purpose.  In  the 
first  row  of  the  outside  the  stitches  are  taken  through  the  back  of 
those  in  the  last  row  of  the  bottom,  but  afterward  the  sewing  proceeds 
exactly  as  before.  Care  must  be  taken  to  insert  the  needle  well  into 
the  coil  lest  the  stitches  be  broken,  and  each  stitch  must  be  tightly 
drawn  and  held  in  position  with  the  finger,  while  the  next  stitch  is 
taken,  that  the  work  may  be  firm.  It  is  impossible,  even  from  the  most 
slender  grasses,  to  make  baskets  of  great  firmness  if  the  stitches  be 
drawn  tightly  enough  to  bind  the  coil  closely  together;  while  with 
coarse  grasses,  in  a  coil  one-half  to  one  inch  in  diameter,  a  scrap- 
basket  may  be  built  so  firmly  that  no  amount  of  pressure  or  hard  usage 
can  damage  the  rigidity  of  its  form. 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


"THE  FLARE  OF  THE  BASKET." 

"The  first  few  rows  of  the  outside  of  the  basket  are  brought  out  in 
a  gentle  flare  from  the  bottom,  and  the  succeeding  rows  are  built  up 
until  the  basket  resembles  Fig.  58.  From  this  point  gradually  bend 


Fig.  58.     Making  the   Bowl. 

the  coil  inward  as  it  is  sewn.  The  modeling  of  the  basket  is  done  en- 
tirely with  the  fingers  as  the  work  proceeds.  The  free  end  of  the  coil 
should  never  be  held  down  ahead  of  the  sewing,  nor  twisted,  as  pupils 
are  too  liable  to  do,  for  this  will  invariably  result  in  ungainly  angles 
and  imperfect  forms  where  should  be  curves  and  symmetry. 

"When  the  coil  has  been  brought  around  a  sufficient  number  of 
times,  sew  on  the  last  row  as  a  slightly  raised  edge,  by  holding  the  coil 
on  top  of  the  preceding  row  while  placing  each  stitch.  Sew  it  around 
once  in  this  way  and  then  cut  off  from  the  free  end  all  but  three  inches 
with  which  to  finish  the  basket.  From  the  inside  of  this  shortened 
coil  cut  out  one- third  of  the  grass,  take  one  more  stitch,  cut  out  half 
the  remaining  grass,  and  sew  the  end  of  the  coil  firmly  down  inside  the 
basket,  finishing  the  edge  smoothly  so  that  there  is  no  inequality  of  out- 
line. When  practice  has  been  gained  in  control  of  material,  raffia 
should  be  discarded  in  sewing,  and  manila  used  in  its  place,  as  the 
fiber  of  the  latter  more  nearly  suits  the  texture  of  grass. 

"Ornament. — When  an  ornamentation  in  contrasting  color  is  desired, 
it  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  designs  should  be  adapted  to  the  material 
in  hand,  the  method  of  construction,  and  the  form  of  the  basket,  or 
tray,  which  they  are  to  decorate.  Where  a  design  is  to  be  put  in,  e.  g., 
by  using  corn-husks,  a  husk  is  folded  in  several  thicknesses,  and  the 
larger  end  pushed  under  the  coil.  After  taking  a  stitch,  to  bind  this 
end  in,  the  husk  is  laid  on  the  outside  of  the  grass  coil,  and  the  sewing 
proceeds  as  far  as  the  design  is  required,  when  the  husk  is  passed  over 
the  top  of  the  coil,  bringing  grass  again  to  the  surface.  In  the  follow- 
ing round  the  husk  is  inserted  as  before,  the  ornamentation  being  built 
into  the  basket  as  the  coil  is  sewn." 


86 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


PINE    NEEDLE    BASKETS. 

By  Mrs.  J.  P.  S.  Neligh,  Columbus,  Ga.,  also  an  interview  with 
Mrs.  McAfee,  of  West  Point,  Ga. 

It  may  practically  be  said  that  Mrs.  McAfee,  of  West  Point,  Ga.,  is  the  origi- 
nator of  Pine  Needle  Baskets.  So  I  requested  Mrs.  Neligh  to  interview  her  and 
tell  exactly  how  she  does  the  work  that  has  made  her  so  well  known.  The 
introductory  remarks  by  Mrs.  Neligh  are  followed  by  the  stenographic  report 
of  her  interview. 

Something  new  are  the  pine  needle  baskets,  so  dainty,  bewitchingly 
beautiful  and  so  woodsy.  They  are  most  unique,  as  the  needles  form 
the  beauty  of  the  basket.  They  are  just  what  they  were  meant  to 


Fig.  59.    Pine  Needle  Baskets. 


be;  they  only  claim  to  be  pine  needle  baskets  of  modest  brown,  and 
seem  to  say :  "I  am  from  the  pine  woods — simple  and  unpretentious. 
I  modestly  stand  for  what  I  am — a  Pine  Needle  Basket.  No  decorative 
border  haunts  me — no  pinky-blue  or  violet  gray  dyes  can  enhance 
the  beauty  of  my  self  toned  brown  that  Mother  Nature  knows  so  well 
how  to  bring  about.  I  was  browned  by  glints  of  sunlight,  blown  about 
by  midnight  winds,  moistened  by  summer  dews  and  polished  by 
wandering  swain  who  gathered  violets  along  the  wooded  trails  scat- 
tered deep  with  fallen  straws." 

The  good  resiny  odored  receptacles  are  sure  to  win  a  way  into  the 
hearts  of  all,  for  they  bring  to  mind  the  good  old  days  among  the  pines. 
And  he  who  would  make  pine  needle  baskets  should  go  to  the  deep 
dark  forest  in  whose  sombre  depths  lie  these  long  straws,  being 
colored  ready  for  use,  and  gather  them  herself.  They  make  far 
prettier  baskets  than  do  those  cured  a  natural  green.  In  our  work  we 
procure  the  extra  long  sixteen  or  eighteen  inch  straws  and  lay  them  on 
pape*rs  in  a  shady  place,  on  the  north  side  of  the  building,  turning  them 
over  several  times  until  they  are  well  cured. 

To  make  one  of  these  pretty  and  useful  baskets,  take  three  straws, 
just  as  they  are  picked  from  the  tree  or  ground.  You  will  find  a  sort 
of  sheath  holding  the  three  needles — slip  this  off  and  clip  the  ends  so 
the  tip  of  lighter  color  will  not  be  used  and  proceed  as  in  any  coiled 
basket. 

To  those  less  experienced  in  basket  making  I  might  add :  Take  the 
three  straws  in  your  left  hand,  then  with  a  linen  carpet  thread — same 

87 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


color  as  the  needles — begin  to  wind  around  the  straws  back  an  inch 
or  so  from  the  end;  wind  three  times  then  pass  the  end  of  the  thread 
over  the  wound  stitches  and  wind  toward  the  end,  binding  in  this  end 
as  you  wind.  Now  cross  the  ends  of  the  straws,  make  your  first  sewed 
stitch,  and  bind  the  loop  just  made.  Sew  the  coil  to  this  center  by 
placing  the  needle  under  each  thread  in  center,  having  the  needle  point 
come  out  at  the  left  side  of  the  thread  below  each  stitch. 

As  the  center  enlarges  insert  more  straws,  hiding  the  ends  in  the 
coil.  By  examining  the  needles  you  will  find  a  right  and  wrong  side — 
or  a  polished  and  rough  side.  Insert  the  needles  so  the  polished 
side  is  outermost. 

The  beauty  of  your  basket  depends  largely  upon  making  it  right 
side  out,  as  well  as  the  exactness  of  stitch  and  evenness  of  the  size 
of  the  coil.  The  most  experienced  pine  needle  basket  maker  I  know 
told  me  she  considered  it  necessary  for  a  beginner  to  make  nine  baskets 
before  expecting  to  make  one  good  one. 

The  following  is  the  result  of  the  stenographic  interview  with 
Mrs.  McAfee: 

Will  you  kindly  tell  how  you  first  began  to  use  the  pine  needles  ? 

"The  necessity,  during  the  war,  when  we  had  to  make  everything. 
The  wagoners  brought  up  long-leaf  pine  needles  and  that  suggested 
making  hats,  because  we  had  to  make  our  own  hats,  and  I  went  to 
work  and  made  a  hat.  That  was  the  first  thing  I  made  with  pine 
needles.  Before  that  I  had  made  them  of  coiled  rush.  The  material, 
or  pine  needles,  coming  to  hand  suggested  the  work.  Then  I  made 
all  my  friends  fancy  baskets,  pin  trays,  etc.,  of  pine  needles. 

"The  first  thing  I  made  with  pine  needles  was  a  hat  for  my  father, 
using  three  needles  or  straws  to  the  coil.  I  sewed  it  with  the  last  spool 
of  Coats'  thread  (No.  50)  that  we  had.  That  was  the  last  spool  of 
bought  thread  on  the  plantation.  After  that  we  spun  it  there  from 
the  raw  material." 

How  long  did  you  continue  making  these  pine  needle  hats? 

"I  made  hats  for  my  father,  my  brother  and  one  for  myself — just 
a  hack  hat.  for  I  never  would  wear  a  sunbonnet.  I  was  solicited  to 
make  them  for  other  people,  and  was  offered  ten  dollars  for  a  hat, 
but  did  not  have  to  do  it.  I  was  working  for  the  love  of  it." 

How  long  did  you  keep  up  this  pine  needle  work? 

"Not  long.  I  really  don't  remember,  but  not  longer  than  a  year ; 
perhaps  one  season." 

Just  fancy  work  for  the  season? 

"Occasionally  some  neighbor  or  friend  would  want  a  little  basket, 
and  I  did  it  along  that  way,  a  little  at  a  time,  all  during  the  war,  after 
I  found  out  about  it.  Then  I  didn't  do  any  more  until  about  five  tears 
ago,  when  I  took  it  up  again." 

You  might  sav  the  art  had  passed  from  you,  or  was  discontinued  until  five 
or  six  years  ago? 

"Yes,  and  then  it  was  suggested  as  a  pastime  for  my  grandchildren." 

It  was  revived  by  having  some  pine  needles  sent  to  you  ? 

"Yes,  the  needles  were  sent  to  me  for  soft  pillows  and  then  the 

children  brought  me  some  long-leaf  needles,  and  that  suggested  making 

baskets.     I  began   by  telling  the  children   stones  about  how  a   lady 

88 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


made  hats  of  the  pine  needles  during  the  war,  and  they  asked  if  they 
couldn't  make  some.  I  tftd  them  we  would  try,  and  I  got  a  needle  and 
thread  and  we  began  making  little  souvenir  baskets." 

How  did  you  get  into  the  basket  circle  again;  that  is,  making  baskets  your- 
self again  as  an  art? 

"That  was  through  the  Woman's  Club.  Mrs.  Johnson  became  very 
much  interested.  She  wanted  me  to  make  some  to  display  at  a  fair  of 


Fig.  60.    Pine  Needle  Basket  with  Cone  for  Handle  of  Cover. 


the  Woman's  Club  of  Georgia,  and  I  sat  up  night  after  night  and 
made  some  and  sent  up.  I  had  only  about  five  or  six  days  to  make 
them." 

She  accidentally  saw  the  little  baskets  and  admired  them,  and  gave  you  inspi- 
ration to  make  more? 

"Yes,  on  short  time.  Soon  I  received  another  enthusiastic  request 
for  the  Arts  and  Crafts  Bazaar.  I  made  up  then  about  two  dozen." 

Were  these  sold? 

"Nearly  all  of  them  were  sold — all  but  one  or  two.  I  really  made 
them  as  a  pastime,  because  I  enjoyed  it.  I  had  the  material,  used  a 
good  deal  of  Georgia  wire  grass  and  pine  needles  together.  I  would 
just  think  of  a  shape  and  work  it  out  because  I  enjoyed  it,  with  no 
view  of  selling  them  at  all.  I  have  scattered  them  around  among  my 
friends  and  family.  Then  I  had  quite  a  number  on  hand  last  Christmas 

89 


PRACTICAL   BASKET   MAKING. 


and  sent  them  to  the  Christian  Woman's  Exchange  in  New  Orleans, 
thinking  I  could  make  more  of  them.  From  that  I  have  been  filling 
orders  all  along.  I  have  sold  this  summer,  since  July,  about  fifty 
baskets." 

They  vary  in  size  and  shape,  ranging  in  price? 

"Yes !  All  shapes  and  sizes.  I  have  never  sold  even  a  small  basket 
below  75  cents,  usually  $1.00.  The  highest  I  have  obtained  is  $5.00, 
then  along  down,  $3.00,  $2.75,  $2.50,  etc.,  according  to  size  and  finish. 

Will  you  describe  the  basket  you  sent  to  your  son  ? 

"That  was  made  of  dark  pine  needles  and  the  decoration  was  husk 
of  millet.  The  lid  has  a  pine  cone  for  handle  or  center  finish."  (See 
engraving. ) 

Describe  those  two  little  baskets  in  the  picture. 

"The  smaller  one  the  straws  were  just  broken  for  curing  in  the  sun. 


Fig.  61.     Pine  Needle  Baskets  by  Mrs.  McAfee. 

It  was  an  exceptionally  odd  freak  of  nature ;  I  suppose  they  were  in  a 
certain  stage  of  condition.  Some  cured  light,  some  a  little  browner  and 
others  a  dark  brown.  I  suppose  the  dark  brown  were  nearer  matured. 
The  beauty  of  the  whole  basket  is  in  the  shades  of  coloring.  This 
freakish  curing  gave  the  effect  of  rockwood  coloring." 

Is  it  possible,  by  subjecting  the  basket  to  lights  and  shadows,  putting  paper 
over  a  part  of  it  and  leaving  a  part  exposed,  to  bleach  or  fade  the  pine  needles 
so  as  to  get  this  decoration;  is  it  possible  to  bleach  them  white? 

"Yes,  I  have  been  told  so,  but  have  not  tried  it  myself.  I  mean  to 
try  it  the  next  fresh  needles  I  get.  An  old  negro  told  me  that  by  pour- 
go 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


ing  boiling  water  over  the  needles  every  day  and  leaving  them  out  in 
the  sun  and  dew,  then  repeating  the  process  day  after  day,  that  they 
would  bleach.  She  said  she  saw  someone  do  it  during  the  war.  You 
know  we  used  to  bleach  palmetto.  The  curing  of  the  pine  needles 
makes  the  greatest  difference  in  the  general  appearance  of  the  basket." 

What  do  you  think  is  the  best  process? 

"The  best  I  have  fallen  upon,  when  you  want  them  green,  is  to  gather 
them  when  green  and  pull  them  from  the.  limb,  cut  the  shuck  end 
off  and  spread  them  on  newspapers  in  the  shade — not  much  light. 
I  usually  cure  mine  under  the  bed,  under  the  lounge  or  in  a  closet — 
wherever  I  can  find  room.  When  I  want  the  brown  I  leave  the 


Fig.  62.  Pine  Needle  Baskets. 

needles  on  the  limbs  and  cut  up  the  limbs  and  place  them  in  the  sun. 
They  won't  get  brown  after  they  are  pulled  off  from  the  limb." 

Then,  when  they  are  cured  on  the  branch  that  way  it  gives  them  a  brown 
color? 

"Yes,  but  it  is  a  slow  process.  They  don't  cure  quickly.  I  leave 
the  limbs  out  all  the  time,  day  and  night,  rain  and  shine,  turning  them 
over  until  they  seem  to  have  taken  on  the  color  they  are  going  to  take." 

Then  when  you  want  something  real  brown  you  have  to  take  to  the  woods? 

"Yes,  I  take  to  the  woods,  and  get  the  needles  that  have  fallen  from 
the  trees  and  lain  on  the  ground  a  long  time.  Those  not  satisfied  to 
leave  well  enough  alone,  may  find  that  a  cloth  dampened  with  ammonia 
will  deepen  the  tones,  but  I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  natural  color." 

Now,  please  tell  us  the  necessary  things  to  begin  a  basket— what  thread  to 
use,  size  of  needle,  etc. 

"I  think  mercerized  cotton  is  best  for  experienced  hands,  or  'Aunt 
Lydia's  Linen  Finish.'  I  have  used  the  common  thread  from  the  mill. 
I  use  the  color  that  seems  to  harmonize  best  with  the  coloring  in  the 
pine  needles.  I  wax  my  thread.  I  think  a  little  wax  on  the  thread 
gives"  a  polish  to  the  needles.  Rub  the  basket  and  the  little  wax  that 
is  on  the  thread  gives  it  a  polish. 

"Another  way  to  polish  a  completed  basket  is  to  take  linseed  oil  and 
sponge  the  needles  lightly,  then  rub  vigorously  with  a  cloth,  taking 
care  not  to  disturb  the  symmetry  of  the  radiating  stitches  nor  break  the 
delicate  fronds. 

"Before  beginning  a  basket  I  plunge  the  needles  in  scalding  water 
and  then  wipe  off  the  resinous  matter  that  adheres  to  them.  Dampen 
again  if  inclined  to  break  when  sewing  them. 

9' 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


"If  I  am  going  to  work  at  once  I  soak  some  of  the  needles  in  the 
hot  water  long  enough  to  soften  them,  as  well  as  remove  the  resin.  In 
sewing  I  use  an  ordinary  needle — as  small  as  possible — because  a  large 
one  is  apt  to  cut  the  straws.  I  moisten  the  needles  until  I  have  worked 
about  one  inch  of  the  basket,  and  after  that  use  them  dry,  thus  making 
the  basket  much  firmer." 

Tell  how  these  needles  must  be  inserted  ? 

"I  take  the  shuck  end  of  the  pine  needle  and  insert  that  into  the 
coil,  putting  it  from  the  center  of  the  coil,  always  keeping  the  polished 
side  of  the  needle  to  the  front.  There  is  a  great  difference  in  the 
appearance  of  the  basket  if  you  do  not  keep  the  polished  side  of  the 
needle  to  the  outside  or  decorative  part  of  the  basket." 

Now  about  the  stitch;  speak  of  the  radiation. 

"From  the  center  I  make  the  stitches  just  as  close  as  I  can  to  show 
any  of  the  needle  between  the  stitches,  then  let  them  radiate.  When 
they  get  too  wide  apart  you  have  to  put  in  an  extra  stitch.  That 
spoils  the  looks,  but  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  firm  basket.  The  extra 
stitches  must  be  put  in  on  the  bottom  or  hidden  surfaces ;  never  in  the 
wall  of  the  basket." 

How  about  taking  stitches  when  you  want  to  insert  a  new  thread? 

"When  my  thread  gives  out  in  the  needle  I  draw  it  tight,  put  it 
under  the  coil  and  then  pass  it  through  the  next  lower  stitch  to  the 
right  side,  then  back  across  that  thread  around  the  stitch,  letting  the 
drawn  thread  lie  parallel  with  the  stitch  inside.  To  start  a  new  thread 
I  pass  the  needle  through  the  last  stitch  made  and  pull  it  under  the 
coil,  so  as  to  conceal  it  under  the  needle,  starting  from  the  inside,  the 
loose  end  of  the  thread  being  hidden  under  the  coil. 

"The  requisitions  to  a  good  basket  are  symmetrical  beginning,  the 
space  between  the  stitches  equal,  and  the  coil  of  equal  thickness.  The 
symmetry  of  the  stitches  is  more  easily  gotten  by  passing  the  needle 
through  at  the  left  of  the  preceding  stitch." 

Of  course,  a  basket  maker  must  always  have  an  ideal  form  in  mind  before 
beginning  the  basket? 

"Yes,  no  mere  basket  abstractions  are  permissible  to  good  basketry. 
I  always  make  a  drawing  and  follow  that." 

How  do  you  finish  the  basket? 

"I  let  the  coil  run  out  rather  than  to  cut  it  off. 

"As  a  final  word,  draw  your  stitches  tight,  letting  the  thread  pass  be- 
tween the  finger  and  thumb,  and  compel  yourself  to  see  that  each  coil  is 
well  made  and  in  perfect  harmony  with  all  that  has  gone  before." 


9  a 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


BAM    TUSH     WEAVE. 


As  I  have  shown  in  Indian  Basketry,  some  of  the  finest  weaving  in 
the  world  is  made  by  the  Pomas — the  people  of  the  Red  Earth — who 
live  in  Northern  California.  Their  work  is  delicate  and  fine,  exquisite 
and  beautiful,  appealing  to  one's  sense  of  form,  color,  design,  adapta- 
tion to  use,  and  general  harmony.  As  a  rule  the  workmanship  is  per- 
fect, each  stitch  as  absolute  as  if  done  by  machinery.  It  is  when  the 
white  weaver  compares  the  best  of  her  work  with  the  work  of  a  Pbma 
weaver  that  she  must  feel  the  immeasurable  superiority  in  this  field  of 
the  Indian.  The  baskets  are  poems  in  wickerwork,  and  though  one 
may  know  nothing  of  the  meanings  attached  to  the  designs  he  cannot 
be  unmoved  by  their  strength,  vigor  and  beauty.  There  is  scarcely  a 
human  need  of  the  aborigine  in  the  way  of  a  utensil  that  was  not  met 
by  the  creation  of  a  basket  among  the  Pomas.  As  a  cradle,  a  wash- 
bowl, a  hat,  a  granary,  a  carryall,  a  burden  carrier,  a  water  holder,  a 
cooking  vessel,  a  stew-pan,  a  platter,  a  gambling  plaque,  a  mush-bowl, 
a  treasure-basket,  a  seed  gatherer,  a  fan,  a  hopper  for  a  mortar.  These, 
and  scores  of  other  uses,  the  basket  was  put  to.  And,  as  the  Indians 
in  the  early  day  made  these  baskets  for  their  own  use,  and  the  poetic, 
esthetic,  and  artistic  desires  within  themselves  demanded  play,  they 
made  things  of  beauty  of  their  woven  ware.  Months  of  care  and  labor, 
besides  months  of  prior  thought  and  study,  were  expended  with  reckless 
lavishness  upon  these  baskets.  Every  particle  of  suitable  or  likely 
material  was  carefully  examined  to  see  if  it  would  lend  itself  to  their 
weaving,  and  then  the  beautiful  in  feathers  and  shells  were  taken  to 
add  extraneous  beauty  and  decoration  to  pleasure  their  friends  and 
themselves.  As  I  have  written  elsewhere,  and  often,  though  in  diverse 
words,  these  baskets  were  the  chief  art  manifestation  of  their  weavers. 
They  were  at  once  "their  poems,  their  paintings,  their  sculpture,  their 
cathedrals,  their  music." 

The  word  "bam"  as  commonly  used  is  equivalent  to  our  word  "stake" 
or  "spoke."  It  gets  its  origin  from  "bam-tu,"  the  grapevine,  which  was 
the  original  material  used  by  the  Poma  in  this  kind  of  weave. 

Rattan  or  reed  supplies  us  with  "bams"  ready  prepared. 

Material  Required. — Two  ounces  No.  I  reed,  I  ounce  natural  raffia, 
Yz  ounce  madder  red  raffia,  y$  ounce  old  blue  raffia. 

Size  of  Basket. — Four  inches  high,  4  inches  across  the  bottom,  8 
inches  across  the  top. 

Making  the  Base. — There  are  three  ways  of  making  the  base,  and  I 
shall  explain  all  these  three  methods  and  leave  the  weaver  to  take  her 
choice,  assuring  her  that  all  the  methods  are  good,  all  are  practical, 
And  all  are  used  by  first-class  weavers. 

No.  i  Method. — Take  12  bams  or  spokes  of  No.  i  rattan,  20  inches 
long,  and  a  long  weaver  of  natural  raffia.  In  six  of  the  twelve  spokes 

93 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


make  a  split  in  the  center  about  an  inch  long,  as  shown  in  Fig.  62 
Then  thread  the  six  unsplit  bams  through  the  split  ones  (See  Fig.  64) 


Fig.  63.     Split  Bam  for  Round  Base. 


Fig.  64.  Bams  Threaded  for  Round  Base 

Keep  flat  and  cross  exactly  in  the  center.  Take  raffia  thread,  double 
it,  leaving  one  end  several  inches  longer  than  the  other.  Slip  the  loop 
over  six  of  the  split  spokes,  bringing  under  part  of  raffia  weaver  over, 
and  top  part  under  the  next  six  spokes,  as  shown  in  Fig.  65.  Repeat 


Fig.  65.     Weaving  of  Bams  for  Base.         Fig.  66.  Round  Base  with  Spokes  in  Pairs. 

this  until  three  rounds  of  weaving  are  made,  using  the  raffia  as  a 
double  weaver.  Be  sure  that  the  under  weaver  is  always  brought  to 
the  top  before  the  top  one  is  taken  underneath,  to  prevent  the  weavers 
getting  twisted.  Now  separate  spokes  into  sets  of  two  (See  Fig.  66), 
pulling  the  spokes  well  apart  to  allow  room  for  the  weavers  to  be 
well  pushed  down.  Then  pair  around  the  double  spokes  for  three 
rounds,  after  which  separate  each  spoke  and  pair,  as  shown  in  Fig.  67. 
Weave  as  closely  as  possible.  The  bottom  is  now  well  started.  As  the 
size  enlarges  new  spokes  are  added  by  cutting  them  the  desired  length, 
sharpening  the  point  and  thrusting  into  the  center  by  the  side  of  any 
other  spoke,  and  then  spreading  open  enough  to  allow  the  weaver  to 
be  woven  between  it  and  its  neighboring  spoke. 
No.  2  Method. — Cut  eight  bams  of  No.  I  reed,  20  inches  long.  Take 

94 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


four  of  these,  laying  them  alongside  each  other  on  a  table  or  other 
flat  and  solid  surface.  Now  with  a  thread  of  natural  raffia  weave  under 
and  over  the  center  of  the  bams,  as  shown  in  Fig.  69,  making  a  square 
of  weaving.  Now  with  the  other  four  bams  make  another  similar 
square.  Now  place  these  two  squares  one  above  the  other  at  right 
angles,  with  the  two  long  ends  of  raffia  meeting,  as  shown  in  Fig.  70, 
so  that  they  will  weave  toward  the  right.  Now  take  the  two  weavers 
of  raffia,  and  weave  around  all  the  eight  bams  as  tightly  as  possible  for 
three  rounds.  Now  cut  additional  bams  or  spokes,  sharpen  and  insert 
two  in  each  of  the  corners,  spreading  them  enough  to  allow  the  weavers 
to  pass  tightly  between  them,  as  shown  in  Fig.  68.  Now  spread  out 
all  the  bams,  as  in  Fig.  67,  and  proceed. 

Do  not  forget  in  inserting  new  bams  to  sharpen  them,  so  that  they 
push  down  more  easily  by  the  side  of  one  of  the  bams  already  in  use. 
An  awl  or  stiletto  can  be  used  to  make  place  for  it. 


Fig.  67.  Round  Base  with  Bams  Separated. 


Fig.  68. 
Method  of  Inserting  Bams  at  Corners. 


No.  3  Method. — This  was  fully  described  in  How  to  Make  Indian 
and  Other  Baskets  and  is  reproduced  here  as  many  prefer  this  to  any 
other  method  (see  Fig.  71). 

Take  12  spokes  No.  i  reed  the  length  required,  4  short  weavers 
raffia,  and  add  spokes  and  weavers  as  required. 

Cross  five  spokes  at  right  angles  to  five  other  spokes  and  placing 
a  raffia  strand  across  the  laid  spokes,  diagonally  bring  the  strand  under- 
neath to  the  beginning  of  the  diagonal  crossing  where  it  is  securely 
twisted.  Now  cross  over  to  another  angle  and  let  one  of  the  halves  of 
raffia  pass  underneath  and  the  other  across  the  top  spokes  to  the 
opposite  corner  diagonally — twisting  again.  This  gives  a  cross  or  raffia 
over  the  grouped  spokes. 

Now  begin  to  twine  the  two  strands  of  raffia  from  the  outside  in 
toward  the  center,  over  one,  under  one,  carefully  impacting  each  stitch 
as  the  twist  is  made. 

Weave  around  three  or  four  times  with  raffia  and  then  bending  one 
of  the  extra  spokes  of  rattan  in  half  lay  it  snugly  at  the  bend  in  the 
angle  of  the  crossed  spokes.  It  thus  makes  two  new  spokes.  Twine 

95 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


the  raffia  over  each  of  the  two  new  spokes  and  snap  a  rubber  band  over 
the  first  group  of  six.  Care  must  be  exercised  so  that  the  crossed 
spokes  always  lie  flat  until  the  base  is  well  started.  When  the  twining 
crosses  to  the  next  angle  another  spoke  is  bent  in  half  and  again  fas- 
tened to  its  place.  This  group  is  now  securely  held  with  another 
rubber  band,  and  thus  continue  with  the  remaining  spokes,  twining 
around  as  many  times  as  required. 

As  the  work  increases  extra  spokes  must  be  inserted,  and  these 
are  cut  the  length  of  the  angle  where  they  are  to  be  placed.  When 
the  base  is  the  desired  diameter  stop  adding  spokes  and  gather  three 
of  the  ground  spokes  into  one  and  then  shape  the  basket  as  desired. 

Any  shaped  basket  may  be  formed  from  this  base,  four  sided,  round 
or  flat. 

Size  of  the  Base. — This,  of  course,  depends  entirely  upon  the  size 
your  basket  is  to  be.  From  Fig.  72  the  shape  of  the  Bam-tush  bowl  is 


Fig.  69.     Preparing  Bams  for  Base.        Fig.  70.     Bams  at  Right  Angles  for  Base. 


seen.  The  bottom  of  this  basket,  which  requires  2O-inch  bams,  is  a 
little  over  4l/2  inches  before  the  upward  sloping  begins.  It  is  largely 
a  matter  of  individualistic  taste,  and  it  will  generally  be  found  that  a 
white  weaver  prefers  a  flatter  bottom — that  is,  larger  than  an  Indian. 

Splicing  Weavers. — If  you  have  an  opportunity  of  looking  at  a 
genuine  Bam-tush  Poma  basket  you  will  "see  that  every  stitch  is  ex- 
actly the  same  size  as  every  other.  This  implies  that  the  weavers  are 
all  of  the  same  width.  This  point  must  be  particularly  noted.  When 
a  new  thread  of  weaver  is  needed,  place  one  end  of  it  alongside  of 
the  old  weaver,  leaving  an  end  about  an  inch  long  inside  the  basket. 
Now  weave  with  both  threads  lying  together  until  the  new  thread  is 
well  established.  Then  push  the  old  thread  through  between  two 
stitches  to  the  under  side  of  the  basket.  Trim  off  waste  ends  when 
convenient.  The  Indian  weaver  leaves  this  always  as  her  last  task. 

Introducing  the  Color. — This  is  done  exactly  as  in  the  foregoing 
directions  for  splicing.  But  if  a  band  of  solid  color  is  required  two 
new  weavers  must  be  introduced. 

Shaping  the  Basket. — There  is  no  fixed  method  of  doing  this.  Each 
weaver  will  experiment  until  she  finds  the  way  that  is  easiest  and  best 
to  her.  The  accompanying  photograph  of  a  Haida  woman  shows  the 

96 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Indian  method.  As  soon  as  the  base  of  the  basket  is  as  large  as  de- 
sired and  she  wishes  to  begin  to  round  it  up,  she  takes  a  pole  and 
thrusts  it  firmly  into  the  ground.  Then  she  turns  her  basket  base 
upside  down  (with  the  bams  hanging  down),  and  fastens  it  to  a 
piece  of  wood  shaped  to  about  the  size  of  the  base.  Then  she  places 
this  on  top  of  the  pole,  so  that  it  will  revolve  as  she  weaves. 

One  weaver  suggests  that  a  large   fruit  jar  filled  with   sand,  on 


Fig.  71.     Base  of  Twined  Weaving  with  Inserted  Corners. 

which  a  small  wooden  bowl  is  placed,  will  answer  the  same  purpose. 
The  Indian  method  is  the  better  as  it  leaves  both  hands  free  for  the 
twining  of  the  weavers. 

As  the  enlarging  process  continues  it  is  necessary  to  insert  more 
hams.  See  that  the  points  are  sharp  and  thrust  well  in.  Study  care- 
fully how  the  Indian  has  made  her  basket  so  rounded  or  swelled,  and 

97 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


then  how  she  reduces  the  swell.  This  is  done  by  taking  out — cutting 
out — some  of  the  bams.  Do  this  at  regular  intervals,  so  that  the  re- 
duction of  the  swell  will  be  uniform. 

Finishing  the  Top. — This  kind  of  finish  is  an  imfinish.  Weave  the 
basket  as  high  as  you  wish  it  to  go.  Then  fasten  off  the  weavers  by 
threading  them  down  tightly  through  two  or  three  stitches,  by  the 
side  of  one  of  the  bams.  Now  cut  off  the  ends  of  the  weavers.  Soak 
the  whole  top  of  the  basket  thoroughly  and  leave  overnight  to  dry. 


w. 


Fig.  73.     Haida  Woman  of  Masset  Wea\'ing  a  Basket. 

Then,  with  a  sharp  knife,  trim  off  the  bams  evenly  about   y3  of  an 
inch  above  the  top  row  of  weaving.    This  is  the  exact  Poma  method. 

Using  Flat  Bams. — Sometimes  the  Indian  uses  flat  bams.  The  white 
weaver  may  do  the  same  if  she  desires  by  running  her  round  reeds 
through  a  clothes  wringer  and  thus  flattening  them  out.  Be  careful, 
however,  not  to  split  them. 

Bands  of  Ti  Weave  on  Bam  Tush  Basket. — This  is  a  beautiful  Poma 
device  for  strengthening  the  basket,  and  also  making  a  beautiful  varia- 
tion in  weave  without  a  change  of  color.  Fig.  74  shows  exactly  how 

98 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


it  is  done.  To  introduce  one  or  more  rows  of  ti  (pronounced  tee)  finish 
off  the  row  of  twisted  weaving  and  fasten  the  ends  first  as  described 
for  finishing  off  the  basket.  Now  take  the  ti  reed — one  that  will  go 
completely  around  the  basket — and  place  it  in  the  desired  position. 
Take  a  long  raffia  weaver  of  the  color  required,  loop  it  around  any  one 
of  the  bams  and  then  twining  over  and  under  each  bam  and  the  ti 
band  make  the  complete  circuit  of  the  basket.  Fasten  the  ends  of  the 


Fig.  74.    The  Ti  Weave  of  the  Pomas. 
(By  courtesy  U.  S.  National  Museum.) 


weavers  by  pulling  through  several  of  the  stitches  first  made.  Cut 
off  the  ti  band  exactly  to  fit  the  other  end,  so  that  it  makes  a  continuous 
circle. 


MAM  TUSH  BASKET  WITH  TI  BAND. 

MADE  BY  MRS.  WHITNEY  WILLIAMS, 

Rochester,  New  York. 


Size  and  colors  as  in  the  previous  basket. 

Commence  the  basket  with  12  bams  or  stakes  of  No.  I  reed,  20  inches 
long,  adding  new  stakes  as  often  as  necessary  to  keep  the  weave  close. 
These  are  added  by  bending  a  piece  of  reed  until  the  ends  meet,  after 
soaking  so  it  will  not  break,  and  inserting  the  loop  between  two  stakes, 
thus  forming  two  new  stakes. 

When  the  bottom,  which  is  woven  with  a  slight  depression  in  the 
center,  is  4  inches  in  diameter,  introduce  the  color,  using  one  blue  and 
one  red  weaver.  Then  weave  as  follows:  Eight  rows  red  and  blue 
alternate,  six  rows  blue,  seven  rows  red  and  blue,  four  rows  red  ti,  as 
described  above,  four  rows  red  and  blue,  fifteen  rows  natural  raffia 
with  dashes  of  black,  three  rows  red  and  blue,  three  rows  red  ti  weave, 
three  rows  red  and  blue,  another  band  of  natural  raffia  of  ten  rows, 
three  rows  red  and  blue,  three  rows  red  ti  weave. 

99 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


After  soaking  thoroughly  the  edge  is  finished  by  passing  one  stake 
under  the  one  to  the  right  and  over  the  next,  making  the  edge  as  close 
as  possible. 

(It  will  be  noticed  that  this  is  not  the  regular  Poma  Bamtush  finish 
of  the  edge,  but  the  result  is  both  pretty  and  serviceable.) 


Fig.  72. 


Bam    Tush    Basket,    with    Ti    Band,    by    Mrs.    Whitney    Williams, 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 


INSERTING  SHELLS,  BEADS  AND  FEATHERS. 


All  who  have  looked  over  the  pages  of  my  larger  book  on  Indian 
Basketry  or  of  this  book,  will  see  that  among  some  of  the  tribes  there 
is  a  great  tendency  to  extraneous  ornamentation.  These  ornaments  are 
generally  shells,  beads,  feathers,  leather  strips  with  silver  or  other 
bright  metal  pendants,  etc.  The  glisten  and  sheen  of  the  brightest 
feathers  of  the  most  gaily  decorated  birds  of  gorgeous  California,  reds, 
greens,  blues,  browns,  blacks ;  the  pearly  iridescence  of  the  pearl  and 
abalone  shells;  the  exquisite  creamy  whites,  jet  blacks  and  soft  shades 
of  the  red-bird,  all  combine  to  make  baskets  that  only  superlative  words 
can  describe.  The  Moonbaskets,  the  Sunbaskets,  the  Ceremonial  bas- 
kets of  the  Pomas,  Gualalas,  Yokuts  and  others  are  dainty,  exquisite, 
beautiful,  artistic  beyond  the  belief  of  those  who  have  not  seen  them. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


No  white  woman  can  hope  to  rival  these  aboriginal  masterpieces.  She 
can,  however,  gain  much  pleasure  and  delight  in  endeavoring  to  copy 
them.  She  will  thus  learn  to  honor  and  respect  her  dusky  sister  far 
more  than  she  has  ever  done  before,  and  at  the  same  time  produce 
results  pleasing  to  herself  in  her  work. 

Abalone  Shell  and  Bead  Pendants. — Fig.  75  is  of  a  Yolo  Ceremonial 
Basket,  and  hereupon  are  shown  the  shell  and  bead  pendants.  J.  L. 
Hettrich  &  Co.,  Shell  Dealers,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  will  cut  and 
polish  shells  of  any  shape  or  size  desired.  Beads  of  medium  size  and 


Fig.  75.     Yolo  Indian  Ceremonial  Basket. 

soft  colors  only  should  be  used.  Six  or  eight  beads  may  be  used  ac- 
cording to  fancy.  Cut  as  many  six  or  eight-inch  pieces  of  strong  linen 
carpet  thread  as  you  wish  to  have  pendants.  Then  string  the  beads 
and  the  shell,  passing  the  thread  back  again  through  the  beads.  When 
ready  to  weave  into  the  basket  wrap  the  double  thread  three  or  four 
times  around  the  coil  being  made,  without  knotting.  Leave  the  pendant 
to  swing  easily.  Now  securely  wrap  the  raffia  around  the  threads 
on  the  coil  as  tightly  as  possible,  thus  securing  them.  If  the  thread 
is  longer  than  to  allow  of  three  times  around  the  coil  all  the  better,  as 
the  more  it  is  wrapped  over  by  the  raffia  the  less  danger  there  is  of 
pulling  it  out. 

Horn  Shell  and  Bead  Pendants. — In  buying  the  horn  shaped  shells 
from  the  shell  dealers  be  sure  to  see  that  a  hole  is  bored  through  them. 
Cut  linen  thread  as  before.  Double  and  make  a  knot  large  enough  to 
secure  the  shell.  Pull  the  knot  in  tightly  so  as  to  be  out  of  sight.  Then 
thread  on  the  beads  and  weave  into  the  basket  as  described  above. 

Feather  Weaving. — This  is  not  done  at  haphazard,  as  so  many 
people  suppose.  The  simple  circle  of  quail  plumes  is  measured  with 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


accuracy,  and  in  some  baskets  the  whole  design  is  worked  out  with 
feathers  in  a  most  ingenious  and  perfect  fashion.  Feathers  of  the  mal- 
lard duck  and  other  brilliant  plumaged  birds  may  often  be  secured 
from  one's  hunter  friends,  and  these  are  the  ones  to  use.  Never  dye 
a  feather  if  you  wish  to  follow  the  real  Indian  style.  In  weaving  lay 
the  feather  stem  on  the  reed  of  the  coil  pointing  to  the  left,  then  wrap 
so  tightly  with  the  raffia  that  the  feather  cannot  possibly  be  pulled 
out.  Insert  the  feathers  as  often  as  desired  in  order  to  produce  the 
designs.  The  feathers  in  a  Poma  basket  often  overlap  each  other. 

Beads  are  woven  with  the  same  regularity  as  feathers.  The  Indian 
makes  a  strong  hemp  or  bark  thread,  very  tough  and  tightly  spun. 
The  white  woman  buys  a  good  strong  linen  thread  which  she  uses  as  a 
substitute.  Then,  threading  a  long  string  of  her  beads,  she  weaves  one 
end  of  the  thread  around  the  coil  several  times,  carefully  covering  and 
tightening  it  with  the  wrapping.  The  thread  thus  tightly  fastened,  slip 
up  a  bead  close  to  the  raffia  coiling  thread,  leaving  enough  thread  for 
the  bead  to  hang  loosely  enough  not  to  wear  away  the  thread.  If  two 
or  more  beads  are  required  close  together  leave  them,  then  carry  the 
bead  thread  along  with  the  inner  coil  until  the  next  place  where  one' 
or  more  beads  are  required. 


THE     KLIKITAT    WEAVE. 

Among  the  Northern  Pacific  Coast  basket  weavers  few  surpass  the 


Fig.  76.     Klikitat,  Aleut  and  Haida  Baskets  in  the  Frohman  Collection 

Klikitats  when  strength,  uniqueness  and  originality  are  concerned.  The 
first  basket  on  the  left  in  Fig.  76  and  of  all  the  baskets  of  Fig.  78 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


are  of  this  weave.  The  inner  coil  consists  of  shredded  cedar  and  spruce 
root,  and  the  wrapping  splints  are  made  from  the  outer  portion  of  the 
root,  which  is  exceedingly  tough.  The  ornamentation  is  made  of 
cherry  bark,  cedar  bark,  grass  stems,  etc.,  dyed  sometimes  with  the 
Oregon  grape. 

It  is  this  ornamentation  that  differentiates  the  Klikitat  weave  from 
any  other.  It  is  a  kind  of  "knife-plait  overlay,"  an  imbrication,  where 
one  stitch  overlaps  another  as  tiles  do  when  they  are  laid.  But  tiles 
are  placed  on  a  roof  each  one  separately,  while  the  overlay  of  Klikitat 
basketry  is  of-  one  continuous  piece,  "plaited"  to  produce  the  overlay 
effect. 

The  Indians  make  one  stitch  serve  for  wrapping  the  coil  and  catching 
on  this  overlay,  and  to  permit  a  white  weaver  to  test  her  skill  I  here- 
with describe  and  illustrate  it.  Then  I  shall  describe  the  white  weaver's 
easier  but  less  effective  way. 

The  coiling  stitch  used  by  the  aborigine  is  practically  the  Hopi 
stitch,  before  described.  As  the  wrapping  stitch  comes  over  the  coil 
a  strip  of  the  colored  bark  or  grass  is  laid  down  on  the  coil  and  caught 
in,  as  shown  in  Fig.  77.  Before  the  next  coiling  stitch  is  taken  this 


Fig.    77.     Imbricated    Basketry    Stitch. 
(By  courtesy  U.  S.  National  Mtoseurrr.) 

strip  is  bent  forward  to  cover  the  last  stitch,  doubled  on  itself,  and  the 
next  coiling  stitch  taken  over  it.  This  process  continues  as  long  as  the 
overlay  is  desired. 

The  white  weaver  should  prepare  her  own  overlay  material.  Wheat 
straws  can  be  split  and  used  natural  color  or  dyed,  split  palm  leaves, 
corn  husks,  native  grasses,  raffia  or  native  barks.  They  can  be  dyed 
according  to  one's  own  taste.  See  the  pages  devoted  to  dyeing.  They 
should  be  prepared  in  long  ribbon-like  strips,  perfectly  even. 

The  Klikitat  baskets  vary  in  size  from  a  few  inches  to  three  feet 
and  more  in  height,  so  any  size  that  the  weaver  may  decide  on  will  be 
appropriate.  A  good  size  and  design  to  start  on  is  the  one  shown  in 
Fig.  78,  on  the  upper  right  hand  corner.  This  is  about  twelve  inches 
high ;  bottom  diameter,  five  inches,  and  twelve  inches  across  the  top. 

To  make  this  basket  turn  to  General  Directions  and  Figure  8  stitch 
and  make  the  basket  bottom;  turn  for  the  sides.  Now  it  should  be 
remembered  that  most  Klikitat  baskets  have  the  whole  side,  Ubd\  as 
\vell  as  design,  covered  with  the  overlay.  This  means  the  introduc- 
tion of  color  for  the  design  when  necessary,  and  then  a  return  to 
natural  color  for  the  body. 

First  figure  out  your  design  and  decide  how  many  inverted  arrow 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


points  your  basket  will  contain.  Then  hold  the  basket  in  the  left  hand. 
Cut  off  one  end  of  the  overlay  ribbon  squarely  and  place  color  down- 
wards over  the  last  stitches  made  on  the  last  coil.  Now  weave  _ three 
Figure  8  stitches,  holding  the  ribbon  firmly  in  place  until  the  stitches 
you  are  making  secures  it.  Now  fold  the  ribbon  back  over  to^the  left, 
so  as  to  cover  the  three  stitches  and  the  end  of  the  ribbon.  Now  take 
a  Figure  8  stitch  to  hold  the  folded  ribbon  in  place.  Now  make  four 
Figure  8  stitches,  the  fourth  being  exactly  over  the  first  stitch  which 
held  the  overlay  ribbon  while  the  folding  was  done.  This  is  imperative 


Fig.  78.     Klikitat  Baskets  in  Frohman  Collection. 

if  a  beautiful  basket  is  to  be  the  result.  Carelessness  here  will  spoil  its 
appearance. 

This  process  is  now  continued— viz.,  weave  three  Figure  8  stitches, 
fold  ribbon  over  to  left,  take  one  stitch,  fold  ribbon  back  to  right  and 
take  the  one  stitch  around,  being  sure  that  it  is  over  the  stitch  which 
held  the  ribbon,  only  taking  it  ahead  and  toward  your  right  hand. 
If  the  weaver  but  bears  in  mind  that  it  is  a  kind  of  basket  plaiting  she 
will  soon  have  no  trouble. 

To  Change  Color  cut  off  the  ribbon  and  begin  anew  in  exactly  the 
manner  already  described. 

To  Finish  Off  the  Overlay.— Cut  off  the  end  of  ribbon  and  weave 

104 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Figure  8  stitches  over  it,  carefully  covering  it  so  as  to  hide  and  secure 
firmly. 

To  Make  a  Loopcd-Top  Finish. — If  you  desire  a  looped-top,  as  the 
Klikitats  often  do,  decide  on  the  number  of  loops,  and,  when  making 
the  last  coil  around,  carefully  soak  the  reed  to  be  bent,  and  then 
bend  it  to  the  desired  shape,  wrapping  it  singly  until  the  bent  part  is 
wrapped  and  you  are  ready  to  close  the  loop.  The  first  stitches  taken 
over  both  reeds  should  be  very  strong,  as  it  is  an  easy  thing  to  break  the 


Basket  made  by  Mrs.  W.  Williams,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

stitches  by  lifting  up  the  basket  by  one  of  the  loops,  as  some  careless 
friend  or  visitor  may  do.  If  an  added  band  is  needed  or  desired  above 
the  last  and  looped  coil,  it  can  be  plaited  of  black  or  brown  (or  any 
color  desired)  raffia,  and  then  carefully  sewn  with  a  fine  raffia  thread, 
the  stitches  hidden  as  much  as  possible,  on  to  the  top  coil. 


I05 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


INDIAN    SPLINT    BASKET    WEAVING. 

DESCRIPTIVE   NOTES. 

In  every  clime  the  basket  weaver  has  adapted  for  her  purpose  what- 
ever nature  has  provided.  In  Eastern  Canada  and  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  region  the  ash  and  maple  trees  have  been  the  most  available. 
These  with  the  sweet  smelling  grass  of  the  marshes  have  been  woven 
into  many  useful  and  attractive  baskets. 

Indian  splint  is  made  in  several  widths.  Stakes  or  standards,  In- 
dian name,  are  the  stiff  splints,  ]/2  inch  or  more  in  width.  Weavers 
vary  from  ^  inch  or  less  to  two  or  more  in  width.  The  ordinary 
widths  are,  fine,  ^  inch;  medium,  %  inch,  and  broad,  y2  inch.  The 
splint  is  put  up  in  coils  varying  in  length.  The  stiff  splint,  ^  inch 
wide,  should  be  used  for  stakes  and  the  limber  for  weavers. 

Sweet  grass  is  used  to  give  odor  and  variety  in  the  weatfe.  It  is 
ured  in  various  sizes  of  braids  as  weavers. 


Fig.  85.     Carrying  Weaver  Over  Two  Spokes. 

MODEL  I.— SMALL  CARRYING  BASKET. 

Materials. — 10  14-inch  stakes ;  3  broad  weavers ;  7  or  8  fine  weavers ; 
I  20-inch  stiff  stake  (handle). 

General  directions  for  all  splint  basket  weaving. — Cut  the  stakes  and 
straighten  them  by  stripping  them  through  the  fingers  against  the  curve 
of  the  splint.  There  is  a  rough  and  smooth  side  to  all  splints.  The 

106 


107 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


smooth  face  has  a  better  finish  in  color  and  does  not  show  the  grain  of 
the  wood  as  plainly  as  the  rough  face  does.  In  laying  the  stakes  for 
the  bottom  the  rough  face  is  kept  uppermost  so  that  it  will  come  on 
the  inside  of  the  basket.  Fig.  84  shows  how  the  stakes  should  be  placed 
in  laying  the  bottom  of  any  simple  round  basket. 

Bottom. — Place  stake  i  vertically  on  the  table ;  place  stake  2  at  right 
angles  through  the  center ;  place  stake  3  at  right  of  stake  2 ;  place  stake 
4  at  right  of  stake  i ;  place  stake  5  at  right  of  stake  21 ;  place  stake  6  at 
right  of  stake  31;  place  stake  7  at  right  of  stake  i1;  place  stake  8  at 


Fig.  84  A. 

Arrangement  of  Stakes, 
for  Model  No.  4. 


Fig.  84.     How  to  place  the  Stakes  for  Bottom. 


right  of  stake  41 ;  place  stake  9  at  right  of  stake  2 ;  place  stake  10  at 
right  of  stake  51. 

The  stakes  should  be  held  firmly  with  the  left  hand  at  the  center 
while  being  placed  and  until  one  row  of  weaving  on  the  bottom  is 
completed.  Insert  a  fine  weaver  under  stake  i,  leaving  a  short  end 
which  is  held  in  place  by  the  left  hand.  Take  the  free  end  of  the 
weaver  in  the  right  hand  and  proceed  over  and  under  the  stakes,  taking 
care  not  to  let  the  weaver  twist,  until  again  arriving  at  stake  61.  Carry 
the  weaver  over  stakes  61  and  i  and  proceed  as  before  (see  Fig.  85). 
On  arrival  at  stake  i  carry  the  weaver  over  stakes  i  and  71.  Continue 
in  this  way  until  six  rows  have  been  woven,  passing  the  weaver  over 
two  stakes  once  on  each  row. 

When  the  six  rows  are  completed  cut  the  weaver  to  three  or  four 
inches  in  length  and  push  the  end  underneath  the  several  rows  of  weav- 
ing and  towards  the  center.  This  holds  the  rows  in  place  and  the  end 
may  now  be  trimmed  off  shorter  still. 

Sides. — Bend  the  stakes  up  (as  shown  in  Fig.  86)  and  close  to  the 
rows  of  weaving.  Care  must  be  taken  in  doing  this  not  to  let  the  stakes 
break.  Insert  two  fine  weavers,  one  back  of  any  stake  and  the  other  in 
front  of  the  same  one.  Weave  over  and  under  the  stakes  carrying  both 
weavers  along  together.  See  that  the  weavers  do  not  cross  or  twist. 
Continue  for  twelve  rows  of  this  weaving. 

108 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Splicing. — Should  a  weaver  give  out  it  will  be  necessary  to  renew  or 
splice  it.  Do  this  in  the  following  manner :  Leave  the  end  of  the  old 
weaver  on  the  inside  of  the  basket.  Place  the  new  weaver  over  the  old 
on  the  last  stake  crossed  by  the  old  weaver  and  push  the  end  under  the 
preceding  stake.  Continue  weaving  as  before. 

When  the  rows  of  fine  weaving  are  finished  (and  care  must  be  taken 
to  notice  that  the  ending  is  made  on  the  same  stake  as  the  one  on  which 
the  weavers  were  started),  insert  a  broad  weaver  and  weave  over  and 
under  the  stakes  once  around.  Carry  this  weaver  over  the  first  two 
stakes  on  which  it  was  started.  This  is  to  hold  it  in  place.  Cut  off 
the  weaver  close  to  the  last  stake  crossed.  Start  back  three  or  four 


Fig.  86.    Spokes  Turned  up  for  Sides. 

stakes  and  make  another  band  of  this  weaving.  Follow  this  with  a 
single  row  of  fine  weaver  and  overlap  the  ends  as  in  the  two  preceding 
rows.  Make  another  row  with  the  broad  weaver.  This  should  com- 
plete the  weaving.  As  the  widths  of  stakes  and  weavers  may  vary,  it 
may  be  necessary  to  increase  or  diminish  the  number  of  rows  of'  fine 
weaving  in  order  to  keep  the  basket  in  good  proportion. 

109 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Top. — The  next  step  is  to  finish  off  the  top  of  the  basket.  Select  the 
outside  stakes.  Those  under  which  the  upper  broad  weaver  has  passed 
form  the  outside  stakes.  Cut  these  about  two  inches  long  and  point. 
(See  Fig.  87.)  Bend  these  stakes  over  the  top  to  the  inside  and  insert 


Fig.  87.     Weaver  Cut  to  a  Point.  Fig.  92.     Wooden  Staple  for  Handle. 

the  point  under  the  fine  weaving  on  the  same  stake.    Cut  off  the  alter- 
nate stakes  close  to  the  top. 

Handle. — Point  both  ends  of  the  handle  and  insert  them  on  the  out- 
side of  opposite  turned  over  stakes,  and  push  them  down  under  the  out- 
side rows  of  weaving  to  the  bottom  of  the  basket.  The  ends  should 
now  be  pulled  down  until  the  handle  is  of  the  required  height  to  suit 
the  size  of  the  basket.  Turn  the  points  back  catching  in  two  rows  of 
weaving  and  insert  them  under  the  next  rows  above.  Some  of  the 
handle  may  have  to  be  cut  off  and  the  ends  repointed  before  doing  this. 

The  handle  may  be  inserted  in  another  way.  Instead  of  cutting  off 
the  ends  of  the  handle  at  the  bottom,  push  them  over  the  bend  and 
under  the  weaving  on  the  bottom  until  the  ends  are  hidden  at  the  center. 
This  is  more  difficult  than  the  first  way,  but  looks  neater,  if  done  nicely. 
The  trouble  will  lie  in  pushing  the  handle  over  the  bend.  To  aid  in 
doing  this,  take  a  scrap  of  stiff  broad  weaver  three  or  four  inches 
long,  point  it,  and  insert  under  the  last  two  rows  on  the  stake  and  the 
rows  on  the  same  stake  on  the  bottom.  The  handle  can  now  be  pushed 
down  back  of  this  wedge.  When  the  handle  is  passed  over  the  bend 
take  out  the  wedge.  If  the  ends  of  the  handle  should  prortude  at  the 
center  of  the  bottom,  they  must  be  cut  off  close  to  the  center  and  the 
handle  pulled  up  a  little  from  the  top.  This  will  conceal  the  ends. 
Care  should  be  taken,  when  the  handle  is  inserted  in  this  way,  not  to 
select  the  outside  stake  on  the  bottom,  as  the  ends  could  not  be  caught 
underneath  at  the  center. 

Knobs. — It  will  add  greatly  to  the  looks  of  the  basket  if  a  row  of 
fancy  weaving  or  knobs  be  made  over  the  two  lower  broad  weavers. 
Cut  two  feet  of  very  pliable  broad  weaver.  Point  the  ends.  Insert  one 
end,  with  the  rough  or  wrong  side  uppermost,  under  an  outside  stake 
on  the  lowest  broad  band.  Without  twisting  bring  around  the  free  end 
and  insert  it  under  the  next  outside  stake  on  the  next  upper  row.  Pull 
it  through  and  leave  a  twist  or  knob  as  large  as  taste  requires  in  front 
of  the  stake.  Now  insert  the  end  of  the  weaver  under  the  next  stake 
on  the  lower  row.  Form  a  knob  as  before  and  proceed  around  the 
basket  until  the  row  of  fancy  weaving  is  completed.  Keep  the  knobs 
regular  in  size.  Trim  off  any  long  or  loose  ends  on  the  inside  of  the 
basket. 

This  little  basket  may  be  varied  in  many  ways,  by  changing  the 
position  of  the  broad  bands  and  also  by  changing  the  number  of  rows 
of  both  kinds  of  weavers.  Contrasting  colors  of  weavers  or  of  stakes 
and  weavers  are  effective. 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


General  directions  for  weaving. — All  Indian  splint  weaving:,  both 
in  round  and  square  baskets,  is  similar  in  method  to  that  described  in 
this  simple  basket.  A  single  weaver  is  always  used  in  weaving  the  bot- 
tom of  a  round  basket,  and  the  weaver  must  pass  over  two  stakes  once 
on  each  row.  Two  fine  weavers  are  used  on  the  sides  with  the  simple 
over  and  under  weaving.  One  weaver  could  be  used  as  on  the  bottom, 
but  the  work  would  be  slow  and  not  quite  so  firm  as  the  two.  Broad 
and  medium  weavers  are  always  cut  off  on  each  round  both  on  round 
and  square  baskets. 

Knobs  may  be  made  in  other  ways  than  that  described.  Insert  a 
broad  weaver  under  an  outside  stake  with  right  side  of  weaver  outward. 
Curve  the  free  end  around  and  insert  the  end  under  the  next  stake  on 
the  same  row.  This  will  form  a  cone-shaped  knob,  which  is  a  little 
more  difficult  to  make  than  the  first  described,  as  the  splint  is  apt  to 
split  unless  a  very  pliable  one  is  selected  and  care  exercised  in  forming 
the  points.  The  knob  should  be  worked  into  shape  by  the  thumb  and 
finger  of  the  left  hand  as  the  right  draws  the  free  end  through. 

Another  knob  is  formed  by  inserting  a  broad  or  medium  weaver  un- 
der a  stake.  Place  a  lead  pencil  under  the  weaver  and  pass  the  free 
end  under  the  next  outside  stake.  Draw  the  weaver  tight  over  the 
pencil.  Place  a  second  pencil  in  front  of  the  weaver.  Insert  it  under 
the  next  stake  and  draw  tight  over  the  second  pencil.  Remove  the  first 
pencil  and  repeat  around  basket. 

MODEL  2.— SMALL  WORK  BASKET. 

Materials. — 20  1 8-inch  stakes;  12  fine  weavers;  6  broad  weavers; 
3  broad  pliable  weavers ;  i  "stick,"  30  inches,  for  top ;  l/2  dozen  strands 
of  sweet  grass ;  2  wooden  handles. 

Bottom. — Take  ten  stakes  and  weave  a  bottom  similar  to  that  in 
Model  i.  The  other  ten  stakes  should  now  be  placed.  Starting  at  any 
stake  place  the  new  one  beside  it  and  througn  the  center.  Continue 
around  the  bottom,  placing  a  new  stake  at  the  right  of  each  stake. 
They  must  be  held  in  position  at  the  center  by  the  left  hand  and  until 
the  first  row  of  weaving  is  accomplished.  Take  a  fine  weaver  and  in- 
sert it  under  one  of  the  first  ten  stakes.  Weave  under  and  over  the 
twenty  stakes  as  in  the  first  rows  of  weaving.  Form  six  or  seven  rows 
of  weaving  and  finish  off  the  bottom. 

Sides. — Bend  up  the  stakes,  and  weave  as  in  Model  i.  Make  fifteen 
rows  of  fine  weaving  and  five  rows  of  broad.  Finish  off  the  basket  as 
in  Model  i. 

Top. — Take  the  stick  called  for  in  the  materials.  These  sticks  are 
for  strengthening  and  shaping  the  basket.  They  are  bound  on  the  in- 
side of  baskets  at  the  top.  They  come  pointed  at  both  ends  and  of  uni- 
form lengths.  The  stick  may  have  to  be  shortened  a  little,  but  must  be 
kept  pointed.  To  find  the  required  length  for  any  basket  take  three 
times  the  diameter  and  allow  for  an  overlap  at  the  ends  of  four  to  five 
inches.  Usually  the  sticks  have  a  flat  and  a  rounded  side.  Place  the 
flat  side  next  the  basket.  It  will  be  necessary  to  tie  this  stick  in  tem- 
porarily, as  it  will  tend  to  spring  out  when  bent  to  fit  the  basket.  In- 
sert one  end  of  the  stick  under  a  stake  on  the  upper  band  on  the  inside 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


of  the  basket.  Pass  an  eight-inch  piece  of  weaver  through  the  basket 
under  the  top  and  in  front  of  the  next  stake.  Tie  the  stick  in  place 
with  this  piece  of  weaver.  Proceed  around  the  basket  and  tie  in  the 
stick  at  intervals  of  three  or  four  inches.  The  wedge-shaped  ends  of 
the  stick  should  overlap.  When  the  stick  is  securely  held  in  place  the 
basket  is  ready  for  binding.  No  special  care  need  be  taken  with  these 
tyings  except  to  make  them  hold,  as  they  are  to  be  removed  later  on. 

Handles. — If  wooden  staples  (see  Fig.  92)  are  used  for  handles,  push 
the  pointed  ends  down  back  of  the  stick  and  two  of  the  broad  bands. 
The  notches  should  be  caught  under  the  stick. 

Binding. — Take  the  sweet  grass  which  has  been  previously  soaked  in 
lukewarm  water  for  ten  or  twelve  minutes.  With  the  left  hand  hold 
the  grass,  by  the  root  ends,  against  the  top  of  the  basket,  so  as  to  cover 
the  upper  band  and  edge.  It  is  better  to  start  binding  in  front  of  the 
lapped  ends  of  the  stick,  so  that  the  finishing  will  not  come  in  the 
same  place  and  cause  a  bulge.  Pass  a  fine,  tough  and  even  weaver 
under  the  upper  band  in  front  of  a  stake  near  the  root  ends  of  the 
grass.  Pull  this  through  on  the  inside  until  about  five  inches  remain 
on  the  outside.  Bend  the  short  end  over  the  top  and  push  it  down  be- 
tween the  stick  and  the  upper  band  and  under  the  next  lower  band. 
Now  bring  over  the  long  end  and  insert  it  in  front  of  the  next  stake 
to  the  right.  Pull  the  weaver  through  as  tight  as  possible.  Repeat 
this  at  each  stake  around  the  basket. 

Hints  for  binding. — The  left  hand  should  hold  the  basket  firmly. 
With  the  thumb  and  forefinger  squeeze  the  stick,  grass  and  top  of  the 
basket  as  tight  as  possible.  The  grass  should  cover  the  edge  neatly. 
Great  care  must  be  taken  not  to  twist  the  binder,  as  it  will  split  and 
break  very  easily.  When  the  binding  is  nearly  completed  cut  off  the 
roots  of  the  grass  and  overlap  the  ends  neatly.  The  tyings  should  be 
pulled  out  when  reached  during  the  binding.  Should  any  strands  of  the 
grass  give  out  while  binding,  lay  in  new  ones  as  needed,  by  pushing 
the  end  under  the  grass  on  the  basket.  End  off  the  weaver  in  the 
same  way  as  it  was  started.  Should  the  weaver  break  while  binding, 
fasten  the  end  and  make  a  fresh  start  as  neatly  as  possible. 

Rings. — If  staples  cannot  be  procured,  rings  or  braided  grass  may 
be  used  for  handles.  To  make  a  ring,  take  the  end  of  a  fine  weaver 
between  the  thumb  and  first  two  fingers  of  the  left  hand.  Wind  the 
weaver  four  times  over  the  two  fingers,  with  the  right  hand,  keeping 
one  wind  over  the  other.  Pass  the  weaver  over  and  over,  closely,  all 
around  the  coil  and  pull  the  end  through  the  last  turn.  This  will  hold 
the  binding  firmly.  With  the  end  which  remains,  tie  the  ring  to  the  top 
of  the  basket.  Make  a  similar  ring  for  the  opposite  handle.  Finish 
with  any  of  the  knob  designs. 

MODEL   III. 
CYLINDRICAL  BASKET. 

Materials. — 12  i8-inch  stakes  5-16  inches  wide,  or  10  1 8-inch  stakes 
^2-inch  wide,  6  fine  weavers,  16  medium  weavers  }4-inch  wide,  3  18- 
inch  sticks  not  more  than  3-i6-inches  in  width,  small  bunch  of  sweet 
grass. 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


Bottom. — Place  the  twelve  stakes  in  the  same  manner  as  the  ten 
described  for  Model  i.  Place  stake  n  to  right  of  stake  3,  and  stake  12 
to  right  of  stake  61.  Weave  enough  rows  to  make  the  bottom  three 
and  one-half  inches  in  diameter. 

Sides. — Turn  up  the  stakes  and  weave  four  rows  of  fine  weaving. 
Next  weave  nineteen  rows  with  medium  weavers.  These  must  be  cut 
off  on  each  row  of  weaving.  The  stakes  should  be  kept  vertical.  Four 
rows  of  fine  weaving  will  complete  the  basket.  Turn  down  the  stakes 
as  in  Model  i. 

Binding. — Bind  the  top  as  described  in  the  work  basket. 

Knobs. — Above  the  fine  weaving  at  the  bottom  there  are  three  rows 
of  fancy  knobs.  Make  them  as  described  in  the  second  model.  There 
are  also  five  rows  of  knobs  at  the  top  just  below  the  fine  weaving. 

Handles. — The  handles  for  this  basket  are  made  as  large  in  diameter 
as  the  top  of  the  basket.  Carefully  bend  the  stick  into  a  good  circle, 
overlap  the  pointed  ends  and  tie  them  firmly  in  place.  Start  two  or 
three  inches  back  of  the  join  and  cover  the  hoop  with  grass.  Bind 
over  and  over  with  a  fine  weaver  as  in  the  small  ring.  Conceal  the 
starting  end  of  the  binder  under  the  grass  and  bind  over  it  for  several 
inches.  This  makes  the  binding  very  firm.  Attach  the  handles  to  the 
upper  row  of  medium  weaver  and  make  the  tying  loosely  enough  to 
allow  the  handle  to  move  freely. 

MODEL  IV. 
SQUARE  BASKET. 

Materials. — 18  13-inch  stakes,  6  broad  weavers,  8  fine  weavers,  i 
light  stick  24  inches  long,  I  stick  15  inches  long  for  handle.  (This 
should  be  notched,  see  Fig.  92.) 

Straighten  the  stakes  and  arrange  them  with  the  rough  face  upper- 
most. Interlace  nine  stakes  with  nine  others  to  form  a  square.  Make 
all  the  ends  equidistant  from  the  squdre.  Leave  a  slight  space  between 
the  stakes  in  the  square  similar  to,  but  not  so  pronounced  as  in  Fig.  84A. 

Pass  a  weaver  over  and  under  the  stakes  entirely  around  the  square 
and  as  close  as  possible  to  it.  This  will  hold  the  square  in  shape.  Turn 
up  all  the  stakes  at  right  angles  to  the  bottom.  Weave  three  rows  of 
broad  weaving  and  ten  rows  with  two  fine  weavers.  Weave  three  rows 
with  broad  weavers  and  finish  off  the  top. 

Handle. — Insert  the  handle  the  same  as  the  staples  in  the  work  basket. 

Top. — Fit  in  the  stick.  Start  near  one  corner  and  tie  in  the  stick  as 
in  the  round  basket.  Bend  the  stick  to  a  right  angle  for  each  corner 
and  tie  on  both  sides  of  the  corner.  This  stick  should  rest  on  the  notches 
of  the  handle  and  hold  it  in  place.  Bind  the  top  with  sweet  grass. 

MODEL  V. 
SQUARE  BASKET  WITH  COVER. 

Materials. — Basket,  14  1 4-inch  stakes,  20  fine  weavers,  12  broad  weav- 
ers, sweet  grass.  Cover,  7  or  8  7-inch  stakes,  5  fine  weavers,  2  broad 
weavers,  sweet  grass. 

"3 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


Arrange  the  stakes  and  form  the  bottom  as  in  Model  4.  Turn  up 
the  stakes.  Weave  two  rows  of  broad  weaver,  six  rows  of  fine,  two 
rows  of  broad,  and  eight  rows  of  fine.  Finish  and  bind  with  grass. 

Knobs. — Two  rows  of  knobs  are  made  on  the  broad  b.ands.  They  are 
made  similar  to  those  in  Model  I  but  the  knob  should  be  pressed  or 
flattened. 

Note. — The  tendency  in  weaving  this  basket  will  be  to  draw  in  the 
stakes.  Care  must  be  taken  each  time  in  turning  the  corners  not  to  pull 
the  weaver.  With  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand,  hold  the  two  corner 
stakes  in  a  perpendicular  position  to  the  bottom  while  weaving  over 
them. 

Cover. — Place  the  seven  seven-inch  stakes  one  way  to  cover  the  top 
of  the  basket.  (If  these  stakes  should  vary  in  width  from  those  on  the 
bottom,  it  may  be  necessary  to  add  another  to  the  cover  to  make  it  fit.) 

Interlace  the  stakes  at  the  middle  with  four  eight-inch  pieces  of  the 
broad  weaver.  The  cover  and  basket  should  be  four  inches  square. 
With  a  fine  weaver,  weave  over  and  under  the  stakes  and  close  to  one 
of  the  broad  weavers.  When  once  across  turn  the  cover  and  weave 
back  on  the  under  side.  Continue  thus,  turning  the  cover  at  each  row 
of  weaving.  Make  all  splicings  on  the  under  side.  When  twelve  rows 
of  fine  weaving  are  finished,  remove  the  two  furthest  broad  weavers  and 
place  them  over  the  twelve  rows.  This  will  bring  the  fine  weaving  in 
the  center  with  two  rows  of  broad  on  either  side.  Pull  the  stakes 
through  until  these  rows  are  in  the  center.  Now  weave  fourteen  rows 
of  fine  on  each  side.  This  should  complete  the  weaving  of  the  cover. 
If  it  does  not  cover  the  top,  increase  or  diminish  the  number  of  rows 
of  fine  weaving  as  required.  Trim  off  the  broad  weavers  close  to  the 
edge. 

The  cover  should  now  be  bound  like  the  top  of  the  basket.  The 
stakes  are  to  be  cut  and  turned  down  on  two  ends.  When  ready  to 
bind  place  sweet  grass  on  the  top  and  edge,  and  cut  a  broad  weaver  a 
little  narrow  or  use  a  quarter-inch  weaver,  which  should  be  laid  on  the 
under  edge  to  cover  the  turned-in  points.  Bind  with  a  fine  weaver. 
On  two  edges  of  the  cover,  holes  must  be  bored  at  regular  intervals 
along  the  middle  of  the  stake.  This  may  be  done 'with  a  fine  awl  or  a 
coarse  needle. 

The  cover  may  be  attached  to  the  basket  in  either  of  two  ways.  Lay 
the  cover  on  the  basket.  Take  a  long,  fine  weaver  and  start  at  one 
corner.  Insert  one  end  of  the  weaver  from  under  side  of  corner  in 
front  of  the  first  stake.  Insert  the  other  end  from  inside  of  basket  in 
front  of  the  corner  back  stake.  Draw  both  ends  through  until  the 
ends  are  even..  Cross  the  ends  and  insert  them  in  front  of  the  next 
stakes  from  the  outside.  Continue  this  across  the  basket  like  the 
lacing  of  a  shoe  and  finish  the  ends  on  the  inside  of  the  basket.  This 
lacing  should  be  loose  enough  to  allow  the  cover  to  be  raised  easily. 

The  cover  may  also  be  attached  by  making  two  hinges  near  the 
opposite  corners."  Pass  the  weaver  through  the  edges  of  the  cover 
and  basket  two  or  three  times  in  the  same  hole  and  knot  the  ends  on 
the  inside  of  the  ring. 

Make  two  rings  as  described  in  Model  2,  one  large  enough  to  pass 
through  the  other.  Attach  them  to  the  middle  stake  of  the  front  edge 
of  the  basket  at  the  top,  and  to  the  edge  of  the  cover  directly  over  this. 

"5 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


MODEL    VI. 

WASTE  BASKET. 

Materials. — 20  '32-inch  stakes,  y2  pound  jH$-inch  weavers,  20  fine 
weavers,  i  heavy  stick,  42  inches  long,  2  bunches  of  sweet  grass,  3^ 
yards  braided  grass  (3  or  4  blades  to  a  strand). 

Interlace  the  stakes  ten  each  way  to  form  a  seven-inch  square  for  the 
base.  Pass  a  fine  weaver  around  the  square  and  turn  up  the  stakes. 
Weave  six  rows  of  broad  weaver,  ten  rows  of  fine,  seven  rows  of  broad, 
six  rows  of  fine  and  ten  rows  of  broad.  This  makes  a  basket  ten  and 
one-quarter  inches  high  when  completed.  Four  inches  from  the  bottom 
begin  to  make  the  stakes  flare  at  the  corners.  The  basket  is  nine  inches 
square  at  the  top. 

Knobs. — Make  cone-shaped  knobs  on  the  fifth  and  sixth  bands  of 
broad  weave  from  the  bottom.  Make  three  rows  of  these  knobs  on  the 
upper  bands  of  the  next  broad  set,  and  four  rows  of  knobs  on  the  fifth, 
sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  rows  of  the  upper  set  of  bands. 

Top. — Bind  the  basket  as  before  described  at  the  top.  Make  two 
thick  braids  of  grass  each  seven  and  one-half  inches  long  for  handles. 
Fasten  the  braids  on  the  outside  of  the  basket  just  above  the  knobs. 
Use  a  piece  of  fine  weaver  and  tie  each  end  of  the  braid  over  twice  on 
a  stake,  and  fasten  the  weaver  on  the  inside. 

Fasten  the  braided  grass  in  a  zigzag  manner  on  the  second  and  third 
rows  of  the  second  set  of  broad  bands.  (See  Fig.  93.)  Attach  the 
braid  with  a  broad  weaver  in  the  same  way  as  first  kind  of  knobs  were 
made  in  Model  I.  Draw  the  weaver  tight  over  the  grass.  A  second 
twist  of  braided  grass  could  be  applied  in  the  same  manner  just  befow 
the  upper  knobs  if  desired. 


Fig.  93.    Zigzag  of  Braided  Grass.      Fig.  95.    Shape  of  Stakes  for  Model  No.  8. 

MODEL  VII. 
HANDKERCHIEF  CASE. 

Materials. — 28  1 2-inch  stakes,  7  5-inch  stakes,  20  fine  weavers,  sweet 
grass. 

Interlace  the  stakes,  fourteen  each  way,  like  the  bottom  of  a  square 
basket.  Arrange  the  ends  evenly.  Weave  around  the  square  once. 

Now  weave  on  each  set  of  ends  as  on  the  square  cover,  for  twenty- 
two  rows  of  fine  weaving.  Turn  down  every  other  stake  on  each  set 
of  ends.  Point  the  remaining  stakes.  Insert  stake  8  under  the  weaving 
on  stake  7.  Insert  stake  6  under  the  weaving  on  stake  9.  Insert  stake 
10  under  the  weaving  on  stake  5.  Insert  stake  4  under  the  weaving 
on  stake  n.  Insert  stake  12  under  the  weaving  on  stake  3.  Insert 

116 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


stake  2  under  the  weaving  on  stake  13.  Insert  stake  14  under  the 
weaving  on  stake  I.  (See  Fig.  94.)  Repeat  this  on  each  set  of  ends. 
Pull  the  stakes  down  until  the  two  edges  formed  are  brought  close  to- 
gether. When  the  four  sides  are  thus  made  an  open  square  will  be 
formed  at  the  center.  Bind  this  with  sweet  grass.  Make  a  cover,  which 

i   2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  II  12  13  14 

A    A    A    A    A    A    A 


Fig.  94.    Method  of  Inserting  Stakes  for  Model  No.  7. 

should  be  large  enough  to  rest  on  the  top  of  the  opening.  A  small  ring 
attached  to  the  center  or  to  the  front  edge  of  the  cover  is  needed  to  com- 
plete this  handkerchief  case.  Finely  braided  sweet  grass  is  very  suita- 
ble to  use  for  part  of  the  fine  weaving. 


MODEL  VIII. 
TWINE  HOLDER. 

Materials.  Basket,  12  1 2-inch  stakes,  10  fine  weavers,  I  14-inch 
stake  for  top.  Cover,  12  9-inch  stakes,  4  fine  weavers,  4^  yards  of 
finely  braided  grass,  i  1 4-inch  stake,  6  strands  of  grass. 

Cut  the  twelve  stakes  to  one-eighth  inch  at  the  center.  (See  Fig.  95.) 
Weave  eight  rows  with  a  single  weaver.  The  weaving  should  start  one 
inch  from  the  center.  When  the  eight  rows  are  finished  use  two  weav- 
ers. Flare  the  stakes  to  shape  the  basket  like  an  acorn.  There  are 
forty-five  more  rows  of  fine  weaving.  It  will  be  necessary  to  cut  the 
first  weaver  long  ways  as  it  will  not  come  fine  enough  to  weave  up  to 
one  inch  of  the  center  of  the  stakes.  When  the  basket  has  been  woven 
about  half  way  up,  stop  and  cut  the  stakes  at  the  center  of  the  bottom. 
Point  and  turn  down  every  other  stake  as  in  the  top  of  all  round  bas- 
kets. Cut  off  the  alternate  ends.  Bind,  over  and  back  again,  with  a 
fine  weaver.  This  finishes  off  the  hole  for  the  twine  to  pass  through. 
It  is  easier  to  do  this  before  finishing  the  basket,  as  it  is  quite  difficult 
to  work  from  the  inside  while  turning  in  the  stakes. 

When  ready  to  bind  the  top  cut  the  fourteen-inch  stake  called  for  in 
the  materials  lengthwise.  Use  one-half  inside  and  the  other  outside  in 
place  of  sweet  grass. 

Cover. — Cut  the  twelve  stakes  the  same  as  for  the  basket.  (See  Fig. 
95.)  Weave  with  a  single  weaver  for  sixteen  rows.  Then  weave 
eleven  rows  of  the  braided  sweet  grass.  The  stakes  must  be  curved  in 
during  the  grass  weaving  to  fit  the  top  of  the  basket.  Six  rows  of  fine 
weaver  follow  the  sweet  grass.  The  cover  should  fit  down  over  about 
seven  rows  of  weaving  on  the  basket  to  give  the  acorn  effect.  The  cover 

"7 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


must  fit  snug.  Bind  the  edge  with  grass  and  on  the  inside  use  one-half 
lengthwise  of  the  fourteen-inch  stiff  weaver. 

Attach  the  cover  to  the  basket  at  the  back,  and  make  two  small  rings 
with  a  fine  weaver  for  the  front  of  the  cover  and  the  basket. 

This  basket  should  be  suspended  when  in  use.  Therefore  two  rings 
about  one  and  one-half  inches  in  diameter  must  be  made  and  attached 
on  top  of  the  cover  on  opposite  sides.  A  large  hoop  (see  Fig.  82)  three 
and  one-half  inches  in  diameter  must  now  be  made.  Pass  the  parts  of 
it  through  the  two  small  rings  on  top  of  the  cover.  Then  bind  as  in 
directions  for  Fig.  82.  Care  must  be  taken  while  weaving  the  basket 
that  a  ball  of  ordinary  twine  may  be  held  inside  with  room  to  turn 
easily.  This  basket  is  now  completed. 


DYEING    BASKETRY    SPLINTS. 

To  dye  well  is  a  difficult  art.  More  letters  full  of  questions  come  to 
me  upon  this  subject  than  any  other  connected  with  basketry.  Ex- 
perimental knowledge  is  the  only  knowledge  worth  much  of  anything 
in  this  line.  Hence,  if  you  are  not  prepared  to  experiment  and  now  and 
again  fail  as  well  as  succeed,  don't  try  to  dye  anything;  go  and  buy 
your  colored  splints.  But  if  you  do  dye,  keep  in  mind  a  few  principles 
which  I  will  briefly  state. 

Don't  use  aniline  dyes. 

Teach  yourself  to  love  soft  tones  rather  than  high  colors. 

Study  every  native  dyed  Indian  basket  you  can  and  therein  you  will 
learn  lessons  of  color. 

Experience  is  the  best  teacher. 

If  you  want  to  experiment,  go  and  have  a  talk  with  your  druggist 
(or,  better  still,  if  there  happens  to  be  a  dealer  in  herbs — an  old  fash- 
ioned herbalist — consult  him),  and  find  out  what  dye-woods,  barks  and 
vegetable  extracts  he  has,  and  then  experiment  with  these. 

Find  your  grandmother's  old  receipe  book  and  get  hints  from  that. 

Read  what  I  have  written  in  How  to  Make  Indian  and  Other 
Baskets  and  take  the  hints  given  there  for  further  experimentation. 

Always  soak  the  raffia  in  cold  water  for  an  hour  or  so  before  im- 
mersing in  any  mordant  or  dye. 

Never  boil  dye.  Bring  it  to  boiling  point  and  let  it  gently  simmer. 
Boiling  raffia  in  dye  will  rot  it. 

In  buying  fustic  always  ask  for  and  be  sure  you  get  old  fustic,  not 
young  fustic.  The  former  is  made  from  the  Madura  Tinctoria,  a  tree 
growing  in  the  West  Indies,  the  latter  from  the  Rhus  Cotinus,  an  en- 
tirely different  tree. 

Rattan  or  reed  takes  color  quickly,  so  it  need  not  remain  in  the  dye 
so  long  as  raffia. 

Indian  methods  of  dyeing  are  somewhat  described  in  Indian  Basketry. 

A  number  of  receipes  are  in  How  to  Make  Indian  and  Other 
Baskets,  and  in  Miss  Mary  White's  two  books,  How  to  Make  Baskets 
and  More  About  Baskets. 

Brown. — If  raffia  is  soaked  in  water  for  a  week  or  two  it  will  take 

118 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


on  a  light  brown  shade.  Walnut  roots  and  shucks,  butternut  bark, 
alder  and  willow  bark,  all  give  satisfactory  shades  of  brown.  Take 
i  ounce  of  the  extract  of  logwood  to  I  gallon  of  water.  Let  it  come 
to  the  boiling  point.  Wash  the  raffia  in  warm  soapsuds  and  put  in  the 
dye  while  it  is  wet.  Let  it  remain  in  the  dye  until  you  have  the  color 
you  wish. 

Yellow  Brown  for  Rattan. — "Steep  five  cents  worth  of  logwood 
chips  in  3  quarts  of  water  about  24  minutes.  Strain,  and  when  it  is 
cold  lay  the  coiled  rattan  in  and  leave  until  it  is  the  desired  color." 

Sometimes  two  colors  can  be  made  at  one  time  and  the  same  mordant 
used  for  both.  Miss  Belle  Robinson,  who  gives  the  above  recipe  for 
yellow,  follows  with  the  next  for 

Dull  Purple  for  Rattan. — "Soak  the  rattan  over  night  in  a  solution 
of  3  ounces  alum  to  a  quart  of  water.  Afterward  put  the  rattan  in  the 
logwood  dye  used  for  brown  and  leave  until  it  is  the  shade  desired. 
Color  the  brown  first  as  after  the  mordanted  rattan  is  colored  in  the 
brown  dye,  it  changes  the  color  of  the  dye  that  remains." 

Wood  Brown. — Boil  2  pounds  old  fustic  and  four  pounds  cam-wood 
one  hour.  Wash  the  raffia  in  warm  soapsuds  and  rinse  well  in  warm 
clear  water.  Soak  while  wet  in  the  hot  dye.  If  it  is  too  high  colored, 
add  il/>  ounces  each  copperas  and  alum.  That  is  sufficient  to  dye  10 
pounds  raffia. 

Black—  Boil  logwood  chips  in  water  enough  to  cover  them  for  15 
or  20  minutes.  Make  a  solution  of  fifty  parts  of  the  logwood  water 
and  ten  parts  of  fustic.  Soak  the  raffia  in  this  solution  for  half  an  hour. 
Remove  the  raffia ;  add  to  the  solution  four  parts  of  copperas ;  return 
the  raffia  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. 

Another  Recipe. — "Dissolve  one  ounce  of  extract  of  logwood  in  two 
pail fuls  of  water,  and  add  a  piece  of  copperas  the  size  of  a  walnut. 
It  takes  a  longer  time  to  color  this  than  any  other  color.  Wash  and 
rinse  thoroughly  after  dyeing,  otherwise  it  will  crack." 

Blue. — Let  2^  pounds  of  copperas  dissolve  in  15  gallons  of  water. 
Put  in  this  solution  10  pounds  of  raffia  and  allow  it  to  simmer  for  2 
hours;  take  out,  rinse  in  cold  water. 

Now,  make  new  solution,  about  same  amount  water  with  half  a 
pound  prussiate  of  potash.  Plunge  raffia  in  this  solution  and  let  sim- 
mer for  three-quarters  of  an  hour.  Remove  raffia  and  slowly  add  to 
the  solution  half  a  pound  oil  of  vitriol.  Return  raffia,  simmer  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  longer,  then  rinse  thoroughly  in  clear  water. 

Bottle  Green. — To  10  gallons  of  water  add  \y2  ounces  chrome,  3 
ounces  alum.  In  another  vessel  have  ready  a  boiling  solution  of  3 
pounds  of  fustic  and  iy2  pounds  of  logwood  to  about  same  amount  of 
water.  First  dip  the  raffia  in  first  solution  (the  mordant)  and  thor- 
oughly wet  it,  allowing  it  to  soak  for  a  few  minutes.  Now  remove 
and  soak  in  the  second  liquid  until  the  desired  color  is  obtained. 

Yellow  Xo.  i. — First  mordant  by  soaking  raffia  in  solution  of  4 
ounces  alum  to  2  gallons  of  water.  Soak  for  2  hours.  Then  place 

119 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


about  2  pailfuls  of  golden  rod  blossoms  (Solidago  Virga-aurea}.  which 
should  be  gathered  in  October  or  November,  in  a  bright  tin  wash- 
boiler,  cover  with  cold  water  and  bring  to  a  boil.  Boil  for  fully  twenty 
minutes.  Then  place  raffia  (already  mordanted)  in  the  solution  and 
let  simmer  until  color  required  is  obtained. 

No.  2. — Gather  same  amount  St.  John's  root  (Hypiricum  Per  fora- 
turn),  stems,  leaves  and  flowers  are  all  good;  treat  as  in  the  foregoing. 

No.  3. — Soak  raffia  all  night  in  mordant,  as  in  No.  i.  Dilute  one 
ounce  of  extract  of  fustic  in  two  pailfuls  hot  water.  Drain  the  mor- 
dant well  from,  the  raffia,  put  into  hot  dye,  simmer,  stir  until  required 
shade  is  obtained. 

No.  4. — Mordant  as  No.  3.  Boil  6  handfuls  onion  skins  in  two  gal- 
lons or  less  of  water ;  strain  and  allow  to  simmer.  Take  raffia  from 
mordant,  drain,  place  in  simmering  liquid,  stir  until  color  is  as  desired. 

No.  5. — Mordant  as  before.  Boil  one  ounce  saffron  to  a  gallon  of 
water.  Treat  as  No.  4. 

Orange. — Mordant  as  in  No.  3.  Dilute  one  ounce  of  extract  of  fustic 
in  two  pailfuls  hot  water;  add  a  little  cochineal  (experience  will  best 
tell  how  much),  and  treat  as  in  No.  3. 

Red. — A  little  experimenting  with  cochineal  mordanting  as  in  Yellow 
No.  i  will  give  interesting  results  in  red. 

Madder. — A  member  of  the  Basket  Fraternity  sends  the  following 
recipe,  which  she  says  is  excellent :  Eight  oz.  madder ;  3  oz.  alum : 
i  oz.  cream  of  tartar  to  one  Ib.  Dissolve  alum  and  cream  of  tartar  and 
bring  to  a  boil.  Soak  the  material  to  be  dyed  for  two  hours  in  the 
solution  thus  made.  Then  rinse  well  in  cold  water.  Dissolve  the 
madder  in  clear  warm  water ;  then  heat  to  scalding  temperature ;  put 
in  materials  and  allow  to  remain  until  the  required  shade  of  madder  is 
obtained. 


MODEL    INDIAN    BASKET    DESIGNS. 

These  are  twenty  in  number,  especially  drawn  from  model  Indian 
baskets  in  George  Wharton  James's  Collection.  The  full  set  of 
twenty  designs  is  sent  post  free  for  $2.00,  or  they  may  be  purchased 
singly  for  15  cents  each,  two  for  25  cents.  These  must  be  ordered 
direct  from  George  Wharton  James,  1098  N.  Raymond  Avenue, 
Pasadena,  Calif. 

No.  i.  Mono  Burial  Basket. — This  basket  is  fully  described  in  the 
July,  1903,  BASKET,  pages  21,  22,  23.  It  is  20  inches  across  the  top, 
8  inches  across  the  bottom,  is  bowl  shaped,  and  stands  12  inches  high. 
It  was  so  large  that  it  was  impracticable  to  make  the  cut  full  size,  so 
the  engraver  reduced  the  plate  exactly  one  half.  The  weaver,  therefore, 
who  desire  to  reproduce  it,  same  size  as  the  original  must  make  it 
double  the  size.  Fig.  i  shows  the  basket  when  seen  sidewise.  and 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


Fig.  2  is  the  view  when  looking  down  into  the  bowl.  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  only  one-third  of  the  design  is  shown  in  Fig.  2.  The  two 
other  sections  consist  of  exactly  the  same  design.  The  color  scheme 
is  as  follows :  Body  in  natural  creamy  white ;  two  outer  of  the  three 
upright  poles,  black,  as  is  also  the  part  around  the  diamonds ;  the 
middle  poles,  the  diamonds  and  the  three  men  are  of  the  dark  red  of 
the  redbud.  The  steps  near  the  bottom  are  black.  To  enjoy  making 
this  basket  the  weaver  should  read  its  history  and  learn  the  full  mean- 
ing of  the  design. 

No.  2.  Alaska  Treasure  Basket  with  Cover. — This  is  a  round  bas- 
ket, with  perpendicular  sides,  same  diameter  at  top  as  at  the  bottom. 
The  lid  is  a  trifle  larger  than  the  basket,  in  order  to  allow  the  flange  to 
fit  over  the  sides  of  the  basket.  It  is  9  inches  in  diameter  and  3^4 
inches  high.  The  Indian  weave  is  that  described  in  "How  to  Make 
Indian  and  Other  Baskets,"  pages  130  and  131,  but  it  can  be  made  in 
very  fine  figure  8  or  lazy  stitch  if  desired.  The  colors  are  indicated 
by  the  shading.  The  black  and  white  are  plainly  shown.  The  color 
shaded  to  the  left  is  a  light  red,  while  that  shaded  to  the  right  is  a 
brownish  shade. 

No.  3.  Palatingwa  Milk-pan  Basket. — This  is  in  two  colors;  the 
black  in  the  design  is  the  brown  of  the  tule  root ;  the  white  is  the  nat- 
ular  color  of  the  willow  splint.  This  may  be  made  in  any  of  the  coil 
weaves — figure  8.  lazy,  Hopi.  or  Havasupai.  The  size  is  exactly  the 
same  as  the  diagram,  viz.,  2^  inches  high  and  14^4  inches  in  diameter. 

No.  4.  Fine  Yoknt  Bottle-neck  Basket. — This  is  in  three  colors, 
black  and  natural,  the  latter  shown  by  the  white,  and  red  of  the  red- 
bud  where  shaded.  The  feathers  are  quail  plumes  and  are  inserted 
during  the  weaving.  The  basket  is  4  inches  in  diameter  at  the  bottom, 
beautifully  rounded  when  shaped  up  for  the  sides,  enlarging  to  24 
inches  in  circumference  and  then  gradually  decreasing  in  size  until 
the  mouth  is  3^4  inches  in  diameter. 

No.  5.  Thompson  River  Carrying  Basket. — This  figure  is  half  the 
size  of  the  original  basket,  which  is  a  small  Thompson  River  carrying 
basket.  The  design  is  made  of  the  Klikitat  imbricated  work,  fully  ex- 
plained on  page  133.  "How  to  Make  Indian  and  Other  Baskets."  The 
white  weaver,  however,  can  imitate  the  design  without  the  use  of  this 
stitch.  The  original  basket  has  an  almost  square  bottom,  5X4  inches 
across  one  way  and  4  inches  the  other.  This  proportion  is  not  quite 
observed  all  the  way  up,  for  at  the  top  the  widths  are  respectively  15 
inches  and  13  inches.  The  basket  is  10  inches  high. 

The  design  is  the  same  on  the  ends  as  on  the  sides,  except  that  there 
are  two  rows  of  diamonds  only  at  the  ends,  while  there  are  three  on 
the  sides.  The  body  of  the  basket  is  the  native  color  shown  by  upright 
lines  of  the  figure.  The  design  is  in  white,  black  and  red,  the  red 
being  designated  (in  the  design  only)  by  the  shaded  lines  from  left  to 
right. 

No.  6.  Porna  Shi-Bu  Basket. — This  beautiful,  ornamental  Shi-bu 
Poma  is  worthy  the  best  endeavors  of  the  white  weaver.  It  is  a  per- 
fect specimen  of  the  art.  The  features  are  the  tiny  plumes  of  the  red- 
headed woodpecker.  The  round  disks  are  the  wampum,  made  of  white 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


pieces  of  shell.  The  basket  is  oval  in  shape  (see  instructions  how  to 
make  the  oval  base  in  "Practical  Basket-Making"  and  "How  to  Make 
Indian  and  Other  Baskets").  The  design  is  in  black  and  white.  The 
illustration  is  exact  size,  the  length  of  the  basket  being  5^2  inches  and 
the  width  across  the  top  4  inches. 

No,  7.  Apache  Water  Olla. — It  can  well  be  understood  that,  to  hold 
water,  this  must  be  a  firmly  woven  piece  of  basket  work.  It  is  in 
white,  black,  and  reddish  brown,  the  horse  only  being  in  the  latter  color. 
It  was  made  in  the  Havasupai  weave,  but  can  be  imitated  in  any  of  the 
coil  weaves  desired.  The  bottom  is  6  inches  in  diameter,  the  top  8 
inches.  It  is  a  trifle  over  31^2  inches  in  circumference  at  its  largest 
part  and  then  decreases  in  the  neck  until  it  is  but  24  inches  in  diameter 
at  the  mouth. 

No.  8.  Pima  Swastika  Design  Basket. — This  is  one  of  the  common- 
est of  all  Pima  shapes  and  designs.  From  Fig.  I  it  will  be  observed 
that  the  bowl  is  narrow  at  bottom  and  widens  rapidly  to  an  exceeding- 
ly wide  top.  The  bottom"  is  but  3^2  inches  in  diameter,  while  the  top 
is  14^4  inches  in  diameter.  The  colors  are  white  and  black,  both  being 
natural  colors,  the  one  of  the  willow,  the  other  of  the  martynia. 

No.  9.  Pima  Greek  Fret  Design  Basket. — This  is  a  bowl  shaped 
basket  with  a  circular  base  $y2  inches  in  diameter.  At  the  top  it  is  16 
inches  in  diameter,  and  being  but  6  inches  deep,  the  bowl  flares  rapidly. 
The  colors  are  white  and  black,  the  former  the  natural  willow  splint 
and  the  latter  the  larga,  or  black  of  the  martynia. 

No.  10.  Yakut  Bottle-neck  Basket. — This  is  a  beautiful  basket  in 
white,  black  and  red.  The  white  and  black  are  indicated  in  the  design, 
the  red  is  shaded.  Any  other  colored  weavers  may  be  substituted  for 
these,  but  the  wise  weaver  will  keep  as  near  to  the  simple,  artistic  and 
true  color  conceptions  of  the  Indian  weaver  as  possible.  This  is  a 
bottle-necked  basket  without  a  neck.  That  is,  the  flange  or  shoulder 
of  the  basket  terminates  without  any  upright  continuation,  just  as 
shown  in  the  design;  yet  it  is  beautiful  and  perfect.  The  ornamenta- 
tion around  the  edge  where  the  sides  and  flange  or  shoulder  meet  is 
red  wool  and  quail  plumes.  The  white  weaver  may  substitute  what  she 
chooses  for  these,  or  leave  them  out  entirely.  The  bottom  of  the  basket 
is  ^l/2  inches  across  and  consists  of  thirteen  coils.  It  then  gradually 
bellies  to  its  top  which  is  33  inches  in  circumference.  The  shoulder  is 
2^4  inches  wide,  and  the  aperture  at  top  is  6  inches  across,  thus  making 
the  complete  diameter  of  the  top  33  inches. 

No.  ii.  Ramona's  Star  Basket. — Perhaps  no  basket  ever  made  in 
the  history  of  the  world  has  excited  as  much  profound  interest  as  has 
this  simple  but  beautiful  basket.  Its  full  history  is  given  in  "Indian 
Basketry,"  pages  220,  221,  222,  and  "the  Philistine"  for  November, 
1903.  It  is  an  almost  flat  plaque,  but  has  a  side  about  fy  of  an  inch 
high,  shown  where  the  three  coils  are  shaded  close  together,  and  then 
a  top  flange  consisting  of  four  coils  of  weaving.  The  shape  will  better 
be  understood  from  the  profile  view  of  Fig.  2.  The  colors  are  the  nat- 
ural white  of  the  willow  and  the  brown  root  of  the  tule.  It  is  12^2 
inches  in  diameter,  inside  measure,  and  14^  inches  outside  measure. 


PRACTICAL   BASKET    MAKING. 


No.  12.    Mono  Rattlesnake  Design  Basket. 

The  basket  is  6^4  inches  high,  6^4  inches  across  the  bottom,  and  i2l/2 
inches  across  the  top.  Its  shape,  therefore,  is  a  perfect  one.  After 
the  center  coil  of  the  bottom  is  started  there  are  twenty-two  coils  be- 
fore the  upward  turn  is  made  for  the  sides.  Twelve  more  coils  bring 
the  weaver  to  the  lower  band  of  the  design.  On  both  bands  the  innei 
part  of  the  diamonds  are  woven  in  the  red  of  the  red  bud ;  the  diamond 
itself  is  composed  of  two  ordinary  white  splints,  and  the  fill-up  is  in 
black.  The  body  of  the  basket  is  in  the  creamy  white  of  the  willow. 
Between  the  lower  and  upper  band  there  are  eighteen  coils,  and  three 
coils  above  the  upper  band. 

In  making  the  diamonds  it  may  be  well  to  know  that  on  the  first 
coil  the  stitches  are  divided  as  follows,  ten  black,  two  white;  second 
coil,  eight  black,  four  white;  third  coil,  six  black,  two  white,  two  red, 
two  white ;  fourth  coil,  four  black,  two  white,  four  red,  two  white ; 
fifth  coil,  two  black,  two  white,  six  red,  two  white;  sixth  coil,  two 
white,  eight  red,  two  white.  It  now  diminishes  in  the  same  proportion, 
taking  the  same  stitches  as  the  fifth,  fourth,  third,  etc.,  in  reverse  order. 

This  is  not  a  difficult  basket  to  make,  and  it  is  hoped  that  many  will 
find  the  large  design  and  the  descriptions  helpful. 

No.  13.  Shoshone  Chiefs  Basket. — This  dainty  and  beautiful  basket 
is  2^4  inches  across  the  bottom,  which  is  plain  weaving  without  de- 
sign, and  consists  of  nine  coils.  Then  it  gradually  "bellies"  out  until 
4  inches  high,  when  its  circumference  is  23^  inches,  after  which  it 
rapidly  slopes  to  the  neck,  which  is  ^l/2  inches  in  diameter  at  the  top 
and  141/2  inches  in  circumference.  The  body  of  the  basket  is  in. 
white.  The  small  design  around  the  neck  is  in  black.  The  black  part 
of  the  design  throughout  is  the  same  as  in  the  basket,  viz.,  black.  The 
shaded  parts  of  the  design  are  of  redbud,  and  the  weaver  may  make  use 
of  a  dull  reddish  brown,  or  any  color  she  may  desire  that  is  harmonious. 
There  are  two  illustrations  for  this  basket,  Figs,  i  and  2.  Fig.  I  shows 
one  side  and  Fig.  2  the  other.  A  little  thought  will  make  clear  how 
to  connect  the  two  parts. 

No.  14.  Palatingu'a  Loving  Bird  Basket. — This  basket  is  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  Palatingwa  imitative  art ;  leaves  at  the  bottom,  with 
the  loving  birds  at  the  four  openings.  The  basket  is  slightly  oval,  as 
shown  in  the  larger  design.  The  oval  bottom  is  made  as  is  fully  ex- 
plained in  "How  to  Make  Indian  and  Other  Baskets"  and  "Practical 
Basket  Weaving."  The  basket  is  in  two  colors,  white  and  the  brown 
of  the  tule  root.  In  weaving  any  color  may  be  substituted  for  the 
brown,  which  is  printed  in  the  design.  The  large  figure  is  drawn 
looking  upon  the  basket  from  the  bottom,  hence  the  birds  are  fore- 
shortened. The  smaller  figure  gives  a  more  correct  outline  of  the 
love  birds.  The  white  oval  of  the  bottom  is  3^  inches  long,  and  the 
basket  stands  4  inches  high.  It  is  15  inches  across  at  its  longer  axis 
and  13^  at  its  shorter.  The  border  is  of  white  and  brown  splints  alter- 
nated. 

No.  15.  Palatingwa  Oblong  Basket. — This  basket  is  of  unusual  and 
yet  very  useful  shape,  and  is  therefore  given  as  a  suggestion  to  white 
weavers.  It  is  most  useful  to  place  on  a  desk  for  pens  or  pencils,  etc.. 

123 


PRACTICAL    BASKET    MAKING. 


and  if  the  size  is  altered  the  general  idea  suggests  how  a  basket  may 
be  made  to  hold  loose  papers,  etc. 

It  is  in  three  colors,  black,  white  and  the  brown  of  the  tule  root.  It 
is  a  parallelogram,  9*4  inches  long  and  4%  inches  wide.  The  sides  and 
ends  are  perpendicular,  so  that  it  is  as  high  at  the  top  as  at  the  bottom. 

No.  16.  Ancient  Chuc-Chan-ce  Basket. — This  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  old  baskets  in  my  collection.  I  secured  it  from  the  great 

freat  granddaughter  of  its  maker,  and  it  shows  clearly  the  steps  of  her 
ierra  Nevada  mountain  home,  with  the  streams  of  water  flowing 
down  between  them,  and  the  many  quails  present,  indicated  by  the 
quail  plume  extending  from  every  step.  The  basket  is  in  two  colors, 
black  and  natural  white,  and  is  of  the  Havasupai  coil  weave.  It  is 
^y2  inches  across  the  bottom,  10  inches  across  the  top,  and  4^  inches 
high. 

No.  17.  Havasupai  Plaque. — As  its  name  implies  this  is  an  almost 
flat  plaque  or  plate,  though  it  is  very  slightly  rounded  as  all  the  plaques 
of  this  tribe  are.  It  is  an  easy  design  to  copy  in  natural  black  and 
white,  and  is  exceedingly  decorative.  The  size  is  exact,  viz.,  16  inches 
in  diameter.  The  edge  is  finished  off  with  the  herring-bone  stitch, 
described  in  "Practical  Basket  Making." 

No.  18.  Palatingwa  Oval  Basket. — This  is  a  beautifully  shaped  bas- 
ket, and  very  attractive  in  color  and  design.  The  colors  are  all  nat- 
ural, viz.,  the  black  of  the  martynia,  the  brown  of  the  tule  root,  and  the 
white  of  the  willow.  The  oval  base  is  9^2  inches  long  and  four  inches 
wide.  At  the  top  the  long  axis  is  18  inches,  and  the  short  one  14 
inches.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  sides  widen  out  a  little  as 
they  approach  the  top.  The  weave  is  the  Havasupai,  with  a  soft  coil 
made  of  fine  stems. 

No.  19.  Mesa  Grande  Basket. — This  is  an  attractive  circular  bas- 
ket, 4l/2  inches  high,  6%  inches  across  the  bottom,  7^4  inches  across 
the  top,  and  bellied  out  about  an  inch  from  the  bottom.  It  is  in  black, 
brown  of  the  tule  root,  and  white,  as  indicated. 

No.  20.  Hoopa  Carrying  Basket. — This  design  is  half  the  natural 
size.  The  color  is  white  and  the  design  a  light  grayish  brown.  It  is 
a  fine  shape  for  a  waste  basket.  The  shaded  part  of  the  illustrataion 
at  the  bottom  is  made  by  alternate  weavers  of  brown  and  white.  The 
black  of  the  illustration  in  the  circular  lines  and  the  design  is  the 
brown  of  the  basket.  The  original  is  5^  inches  across  the  bottom  and 
151/2  inches  across  the  top.  The  height  is  141/2  inches. 


124 


THE   BASKET  FRATERNITY. 


a  demand    exists    for    a  means  of 
communication  between,  and  source  of 
information  among   basket   lovers  that 
THE    BASKET    FRATERNITY   has  been 
organized  by  George  Wharton  James. 

The  special  advantages  of  membership  in  the  Fraternity  are  as 
follows :  Any  ten  members  may  secure  an  Indian  Basket  Loan  Col- 
lection, by  guaranteeing  its  safety  and  paying  express  charges  both 
ways  ;  any  five  members,  on  the  same  conditions,  may  secure  the 
loan  of  a  full  set  of  stereopticon  slides  dealing  with  all  phases  of 
"Indian  Baskets  and  their  Makers,"  with  written  lecture.  This 
illustrated  lecture  can  be  read  by  any  ordinarily  intelligent  person 
and  funds  thereby  secured  for  obtaining  the  loan  collection.  Members 
also  can  secure  the  full  set  of  Model  Indian  Basket  Designs,  described 
herewith,  for  one-half  the  regular  price  of  $2  oo,  viz.,  $1.00  post-free. 
The  fee  for  membership  is  $1.50  per  year,  which  includes  a  fully 
paid-up  subscription  for  one  year  to  the  Out  West  Magazine,  the 
most  distinctively  Western  magazine  in  the  U.  S.,  and  edited  by 
George  Wharton  James. 

Correspondence  is  invited.     Address 

GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES, 

•  1098  N.  Raymond  Ave., 

PASADENA,  CALIF. 


The 

Pine-Needle  Basket  Book 

BY 

MRS.  M.  j.  MCAFEE 

Originator  of  Pine-Necdle  Basketry 

Mrs.  McAfee  gives  a  description  of  the  preparation 
of  the  materials  and  the  technic  employed  in  the 
making  of  Pine-Needle  Baskets. 

Mrs.  Edwin  Lang  illustrates,  with  pen-and-ink 
sketches  and  photographs,  the  technic  and  the 
specimens  of  Pine-Needle  Basketry. 

Dr.  Loy  McAfee  Inghram  introduces  the  technical 
part  of  the  book  with  a  reminiscent  sketch  of  the 
origin  of  the  craft,  with  facts,  figures  and  pictures 
concerning  the  Long  Leaf  Pine. 


The  publication   of   this   brochure  was  born  of  a  desire 

to  perpetuate  the  unique  and  beautiful  craft  of 

Pine-Needle  Basketry. 


PRICE         -        $ 

Address : 

MRS.  M.  J.  McAFEE,    QUITMAN,  GA. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  UOS  ANGELES 
THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 


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